The Death of Haruhi Suzumiya
by Turbanator
Summary: “I should have seen it coming, everything we’ve been through together has been building up to this, but it was already too late...” /\ Novels 1 to 8 compliant /\ Epilogue up!
1. Just another day…

**The Death of Haruhi Suzumiya**

**Just another day…**

**Chapter 1**

**Present day  
The Hospital**

"She's calling for you..."

The nurse, her face had grown sadder during the course of the night, spoke to me alone out of the rest of us. I could barely keep my eyes open as it were. I looked at her for a moment to check that I wasn't just hearing things. She'd nodded again to confirm what I heard was true. I tell her my thanks and I made my way to the room.

She didn't need to guide me, I already knew the way. I never liked like hospitals, the stale clinical air about them, that and my previous interment here all those months ago.

I look at the room number, 42, I still smile wryly at that. As I'm about to open the door, my hand hover over the doorknob, but I was hesitating.

I've never done this before... Hundreds of questions flashed through my head. How am I going to talk to her? Just act casual about it, pretend everything is normal? Maybe I should tease her or insult her to get some sort of rise out of her? Why did she call me? Are her parents still in there?

"Kyon, you idiot! Are you going to slouch outside forever?! I don't plan on waiting in here for the rest of my life for you to get the guts to face me!"

Damn, this door has a glazed window on it; she probably guessed it was me by my hair.

Well, it looks like my decision has been made for me. Act normal, and get annoyed at her.

I turned the knob and nonchalantly wave at her.

"Yo Haru-UMPH!"

These hospital pillows must be loaded with bricks or something, it really hurt...

"That's your penalty for keeping me waiting!"

Lightly throwing the extraneous pillow to the side, on top of a large pile of pre-thrown pillows, I try to put on a brave face on things, smiling tightly, whilst sitting in the seat closest to her bed.

"Well, at least your temper hasn't changed much, Haruhi."

She folded her arms as she sat up, her eyes betraying some form of wince. "Hmph! I need to keep my guard up around you. You're so lazy sometimes I wonder how you remember to come to the clubroom!"

I rolled my eyes for what must be the tenth time that evening, or is it morning now? I see her face twitching imperceptibly.

"You should lie down Haruhi..." I say in a tired voice. Despite everything, she still has the strength to defy all the doctor's orders.

I get up to help her down, as a chivalrous man would do to any girl in a situation like this. I promise I'm not going to grope her!

"Kyon... I warned you before. Don't help me..."

Stubborn as mule would be a perfect analogy for her, but even I don't think that metaphor is strong enough to illustrate her will. As Haruhi shifted her bodyweight about to lie down properly, I struggled to think of a suitable phrase.

In the end I lumped for 'immovable as Mount Fuji'.

As I stared closely at Haruhi's face, the sweat drops returning with a vengeance, I couldn't believe how suddenly things changed for the SOS Brigade, and the universe as a whole...

**Two weeks ago  
SOS Brigade Clubroom**

Tuesday. Another boring day at school. Following my somewhat abysmal marks in the midterms, I was more than shocked to learn that Haruhi would be tutoring me until my scores were in the 95th percentile for Japan.

Despite esper boy Koizumi smiling inanely at us like usual, the sly bastard, he offered to help me. Human I may be, but I'm no genius to be able to learn all of this in a week!

"If you study hard, I'm sure that you could do it."

Shut up you smarmy git! The last thing I wanted was for him to be grinning at my consistent failures to grasp the basics of calculus, Japanese history, and memorising all ten thousand kanji.

"If you want, I can frown as well."

No, if you start doing that, I might just panic for the state of the world. Besides, the last thing I want is for my own head to be filled with useless crap I'll never need to use again, or worse, another 'manifestation' from my own poor results. If I see another Cave Cricket, or Soundworm, then I might just go insane. There can only be so many trips to that horrible barren world that one, as a human, can take.

Lucky for me, the angelic voice of our resident maid from the future piped up.

"Umm, I think Kyon-kun can study well enough on his own." Her nervous face was too adorably cute to miss out on. She smiled precariously at Haruhi, then looked at our monotone statue. "D-Don't you think so Nagato-san?"

Yuki Nagato. Alien. A human interface to a data originated life form. Even though outwardly she hadn't changed, out of all of us, she probably evolved the most throughout our adventures. She's still the same old quiet person, however having known her for a year almost, excluding the multiple trips to her past and alternate selves, I've grown attached to her, in my own unique way. Unlimited knowledge and power, at least until she invoked the IcePartition Data Restriction Protocol, restricting all access to temporal planes and upper level data manipulation. All that was needed to dissolve it was one password.

She looked up from her book; the cover had some strange pictures of space, with a wild looking ship on the outside. I shrugged it off, not really loving the sci-fi book scene that much. I could see her flick her eyes over to each member in the room. First Asahina-san, then Koizumi's closed eyes, Haruhi, our fourth member, then finally settling on me. The impassive and neutral gaze fluctuated marginally - did her pupils dilate somewhat? - and she looked at Haruhi.

"Data processing would be better achieved through individual personal study. Encouragement via teamwork might result in a negative effect from peer pressure and other such extenuating factors."

"Nahaha! Well Kyon's a bit slow at times, we'll just leave him be on his own, I'm sure he'll knuckle down and do some good work-sa!"

Ah yes, our fourth member, I forgot to mention her yet. As you can tell by her manic hyperactivity, second only to Haruhi - primarily due to the latter's effect on the universe - and her odd linguistic trait formed from her oversized childhood canine, thanks to a badly removed milk tooth, she is none other than Tsuruya-san. A beauty in her own right, although overpowered by Asahina-san's own quiet charm, she more than makes up for it with wild and enthusiastic ideas, all ironically eagerly lapped up by our SOS Brigade leader.

Oh yeah, she turned out to be from another parallel universe also. Turns out there are Haruhi's in the countless worlds she's visited, but in this universe only does she have this awesome power. She likes to stay in this one preferably; she has the ability to find a specific Earth, if only to have fun with our Haruhi.

I don't think I will ever be the same again after going to that world of opposites. Seeing me as a girl attracted to a male Asahina-san, and then I was infatuated with the smiling, and quite adorably intelligent, female Koizumi.

I repressed another shudder, and forced myself not to look at Koizumi for the umpteenth time, lest some unsettling thoughts settle in my mind.

So there we have it, Tsuruya-san, slider. Just what we wanted, more freaks to fill up this clubroom.

"Hey! Don't call me a freak! I'll show you!"

"Gack!"

While being manhandled by Tsuruya was not something far from my dreams, her voluptuous breasts squeezing against my back, I tried not to smile in bliss, for I had someone else closer to my heart.

That, and Haruhi was staring at me, her evil grin widening as if knew exactly what I was thinking.

Hmm, it's getting darker... Oh yeah, I forgot that Tsuruya-san was also insanely strong, that neck choke hold she has on me is a little too effective, and only now have I realised that I hadn't taken a breath for twenty seconds.

"U-Umm... Tsuruya-san, I think Kyon-kun is passing out again..."

"Ahh... Sorry about that..."

The green-haired girl released me, and precious carbon dioxide particles flooded into my lungs once more.

Wait a second, isn't carbon dioxide the stuff that is expelled from my lungs? And are they particles, or molecules? Perhaps I do need to brush up on my chemistry as well, if only to make my internal dialogue accurate.

"Yeah, I'll spend some extra time on my own studying at home, I promise to improve my marks by 50 percent!"

Haruhi probably sensed my false enthusiasm and countered it with the truth, as she saw it.

"Now, now Kyon. Don't go overestimating your limited abilities." I lowered my head guiltily, awaiting the inevitable instruction from her for the first study group date. "However, I suppose that everyone is right, you should get a chance to prove yourself first before you are graced with my superior form of education." Images of a whip and a cackling Haruhi force-feeding me hallucinogenic drugs chilled me to the bone. "So, you should work on your lonesome, but I won't accept failure! Improve your marks by 25 percent, or else!"

I gulped. That was a big ask of her, maybe I will need some help after all. Asking Nagato would be out of the question, while her knowledge was unparalleled, it would take far too long to get her to explain it to me in layman's terms. Asahina-san, bless her, despite her knowledge of the future, doesn't seem to have any common knowledge of things like buoyancy. Besides, she probably learned all this when she was like five years old. Tsuruya-san, well, the less said about the way she teaches people, the better.

I guess I'll just stick with grinning Koizumi. At least he offered to help me, if only to acquiesce to Haruhi.

"I'll try my best..." I smiled half-heartedly at her.

"Good!" She stood up and put her hands on her hips. "Now, for our Saturday analysis, since we didn't talk about it on Monday I'll -"

The sudden silence made me look up from examining the grain in the wooden table; it wasn't like her to stop so abruptly.

Her eyes seemed confused, as her chest puffed out slightly. She brought her hand up to her mouth and coughed hard once, then two short ones, presumably to clear her throat. She looked at her hand in mild disgust, before widening momentarily.

"One sec..." She pulled out a tissue from her computer desk; where was she keeping that box? She wiped her hands off and threw the used paper in the bin.

Standing up again, after checking her fingers over again and rubbing her throat for good measure, she spoke on, her tone a tad more serious than usual. I resumed my usual position of abject boredom.

It was just three simple coughs, utterly forgettable in the world scale of things.

However, simple and forgettable do not apply to Haruhi Suzumiya.

I should have seen it coming, everything we've been through together has been building up to this, but it was already too late.

The universe was changing for the last time...

**---  
Author's Notes**

Different fandom for once. Had this though in my head, and love reading the novels of Haruhi, hence have decided to end the series the only way I believe it can. Writing this in the form of the novels was great fun, the internal monologue by Kyon sometimes heard by others, and sometimes not.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed it!

- J


	2. Manifestation

**The Death of Haruhi Suzumiya**

**Manifestation**

**Chapter 2**

**Present day**

"So, how're you feeling?"

Shit, that was a stupid question.

"You said it Kyon, idiot." She had a smirk on her face. "Not bad considering I'm minutes away from death, how about you?"

Well, perhaps she thought it would be better, a more dignified way of dying, if you remained sane and lucid till the last moments. I was the only one in the room, her parents must've gone off somewhere, maybe Haruhi ordered them away...

"You seem happy..." I remarked honestly, it's strange talking to someone who is apparently normal, aside from the unfortunate problem of being at death's door.

"You'd prefer me to get all depressed and regret my short life, perhaps repenting for all my sins instead?"

I rubbed the spot on my face that she punched. Oww. Still, it is affecting her, the strength behind that was not as powerful as it was before.

I looked at her arm, and sure enough the black substance was still there. The colour and sheen of wet tar, it followed the veins and arteries along the arm, up until the hand. The doctors also said that it was like this throughout her body. It didn't appear on her face, nor did it seem to want to spread there.

Soon however, it would circle the heart, and then it would all be over.

I bit my lip and gripped the bedsheets. I promised her that I wouldn't cry damn it!

"Hey Kyon..." Haruhi looked at me with suspicious eyes. "Did you eat some wasabi or what? Those look like tears in your eyes."

Her smirk was unbearable, even now she remained calm. "Haruhi... I'm sorry... I wish I could do more to help you..."

Her face softened and she reached out for my hand, holding it gently. "Come on Kyon... You're not supposed to be like this, you should prepare yourself to continue the SOS Brigade. We still haven't found anything weird yet..."

I looked at her blankly. She still had that crazy idea that I would inherit the Brigade. Me, not Vice President Koizumi.

If only it were that simple.

**13 days ago  
Homeroom**

Beginning of the day, one of the worst days of the week. Wednesday, halfway to the weekend, although my Saturday would be booked with the 'excursions' we take as the Brigade into town. My wallet has become substantially lighter since we began these meetings, as I'm always the last one to turn up.

I glance behind me to see Haruhi looking bored already, school to her was nothing more than a distraction from running the club. Naturally she gets top marks at everything, so it doesn't even worry her one bit.

I look at my chemistry homework in front of me, I did half of it at home, but the rest of it remains a mystery to me. Perhaps the school environment would inspire me to new heights and grant me the extra knowledge required to finish it.

The bell rang for the end of homeroom, so the first class had begun, Chemistry.

Apparently not, never mind, though, there's always another day to try to do homework. I'll have a word with Koizumi about him helping to tutor me, maybe in the clubroom when Haruhi's not around. The Gods know that I need it to avoid the 'punishment' I would receive from our leader, and it's not like Koizumi does anything constructive anyway, we just play board games. He always loses too, which is doubly peculiar since he is quite clever.

Ah damn, I should get moving, the class has already left, and Haruhi is tapping her foot on the floor, waiting for me at the door. Best get moving fast.

"Move yourself Kyon! I don't want to miss a single second of our lessons!"

Yes ma'am. I sighed and followed her.

The rest of the day continued along in the same path, Haruhi ordering me about, me obeying. I did glimpse Koizumi, Asahina-san and Tsuruya-san in the corridors during my fleeting moments of changing classrooms, but I couldn't say hello. Hopefully my anguished features at being dragged by Haruhi would have been carried through to them.

Finally, it was the end of the school day. I packed my bag up and sauntered over to Haruhi.

"I have some things to do first; I'll meet you all in the clubroom."

Whatever you say my leader.

"Enough of that cheek! Insubordination will be dealt with severely!"

Her eyes promised that too, so I quickly left her to her ablutions and walked on to the clubroom. Knocking before I entered, sure enough, Nagato was reading a book in the corner, the same one as yesterday from what I could recall of the cover, and Asahina-san was dressed up as a maid.

"Ah, Kyon-kun." She bowed lightly, her pink hair rippling with the movement. "It's good to see you."

It's better to see you. You look especially lovely today.

She turned a bit redder. Perhaps I shouldn't have said that out loud. I sat in my usual seat and nodded to her as she offered me some tea. I sipped it lightly, savouring the taste. It must be a new blend; I've not this one before.

"Y-Yes, I went out with Tsuruya-san and we bought some different type of tea for the clubroom."

So, where is that hyper green haired girl then?

"She's got some work to do in her other club first, then she'll be down in a minute."

Of course, I didn't ask about Koizumi, I have no interest in what he does or does not do.

The door opened and in popped the fake smiling boy. "Sorry I'm late, a teacher wanted to speak to me."

No one cares, Koizumi, just sit down and let me talk to you about helping me study.

The room echoed with a bang, shortly followed by another. The first was the door slamming wide open again, as Tsuruya-san burst in like a supernova. The second was me falling over due to the shock, and landing on the floor.

"Kyon-kun!"

Asahina-san was worried about me! She tried to help me up, but she was a little too weak to lift up my arm, let alone the rest of me. Her maid outfit had a distinct smell of strawberries close up.

"It's okay Asahina-san, thanks for the help." I remarked, as I stood up. I reset the chair and sat back down on it. At least my tea didn't spill; otherwise it would've been a complete tragedy.

I looked at the giggling crazy girl and frowned. I warned her about this many times, but she still comes in like the world was ending.

"Sorry Kyon-kun, I'm just excited, that's all."

Excited, yeah right, the only time you're not excited is when you're asleep. Even then you have this mad grin on your face.

At that moment, the door exploded inwards again. I might need to go to the local store to get one of those plastic things that stops the doorknob from hitting the wall. At this rate, we'll have a new hole peeking into our room. The janitor will not be happy about that.

"Good news people!" Haruhi looked abundantly happy, which naturally meant we were in for a world of sadness. "Since it's such a lovely day outside, I'll let you all go home early!" She grabbed the doorknob and pulled the door towards her. "I'll see you all tomorrow, bright and early here!"

The door shut again, and there was some muffled noise coming from outside, then nothing.

The silence in our room lasted for about a minute. Even the page flipping of Nagato paused, as she looked up at the doorway.

"This is most unexpected..." Koizumi mused, rubbing his chin. "Suzumiya-san is allowing us to leave early?"

"Maybe she felt like going for a run about the block." Tsuruya stated unnecessarily.

I think that would most likely be you in that case.

"Suzumiya-san is acting a bit strange today..." Asahina-san pointed out.

Sadly, yes, even I noticed it at one point. Haruhi was constantly racing to each class at full speed. It's also not like her to insist on dragging me everywhere she goes.

Nagato, as usual, had nothing to say on the matter.

Suddenly, I felt a new sensation, a chilling one, which sent shivers down the small of my back, to my legs. Even though I was sitting, my knees were shaking and I thought I would lose my balance on the chair. A second or two later, all four residents of the room stopped what they were doing.

Nagato blinked and looked around the room slowly, taking in every detail. Asahina-san stopped tending to the tea, and held her left hand over her left ear. Koizumi tensed up and frowned, and, like Nagato, was searching for something in the room. Tsuruya-san lowered her smile and pulled out what looked to be a mobile phone, vibrating ominously in her hand.

"Something's wrong..." Koizumi said superfluously. "There is a large and strange entity in this room. Oppressive energy."

"Temporal distortions are fluctuating rapidly from this location. A massive time quake beyond anything we've ever seen will occur in no more than one hour from here." Asahina-san removed her hand.

"Abnormal data detected. Artificial field established. Evolved life form commencing gestation period." Nagato droned monotonously.

"Surface scans show upper levels of lambda, omega and psi radiation emitting from here." Tsuruya-san was reading out from her handheld device, her smirk growing. "Chronometric particles multiplying and reproducing exponentially."

I stared at everyone and sighed. "Does anyone know why this happened?"

Koizumi shook his head. "This happened suddenly, none of us could detect it earlier."

I looked to our reliable source of information. "Nagato, did you have any sign that this was going to happen earlier?"

"Data evolution was not detected prior to now. I am unable to detect data in gestation period."

"So, is it just this room, or the school as a whole?"

Asahina-san shook her head. "No, the time quake will originate from this location, within a 5 metre radius."

Tsuruya-san held out her machine. "In that corner. The disturbances are coming from there."

We all stared at the corner and saw nothing special. That is until we looked down and saw what it was.

"A dustbin?" I rubbed my head. "How could that be the source of this?"

"Haruhi Suzumiya disposed of a tissue in the bin yesterday at fifteen hundred hours and forty two minutes." Nagato dictated.

I think I grew a lot paler. What the hell could be living in there?

"Data life form not actualised in base reality." Nagato went on, in response to my question.

Seeing my face convolute into a variety of confusion, from slight puzzle to outright bafflement, she elaborated for me. In other words, she dumbed it down.

"The life form is not in the dustbin. There is nothing physically dangerous there."

Koizumi closed his eyes and frowned; he was probably concentrating. "This feels like Closed Space, only different."

So how does it feel like Closed Space if it's different?! I shudder, another life form, perfect, just what I need to end the day on.

Tsuruya-san walked over to the bin and nodded. "Koizumi-kun is right. A rift has opened, though only slightly, to Quarantined U825, Earth17. The Sealed Dimension is certified."

That's it, I can officially cry now... Tsuruya-san's control box can detect portals to parallel worlds, and even catalogue then. That particular one is where we tended to fight those monsters, an Earth barren of life from its beginning. Her people have restricted access to that world and universe, since it is dangerous if you don't know what to expect.

"What happens if we leave it alone?" I ask, already knowing and dreading the answer.

"The time quake will permanently affect this reality. I-I won't be able to return home safely after it happens." Asahina-san, jittery with the sheer size of the imminent quake, shuddered.

"Gestation period will end in approximately 48 hours. Evolution to higher life form will be achieved in 3 hours. The possibility is high that life form will attempt entry into base reality." Nagato stated succinctly. I was actually able to understand her first time!

"You know how it goes, the usual. Once the creature gets enough power from the dead Earth, it will attempt to spread across the galaxy, and soon will get the power necessary to generate a portal." Tsuruya-san's serious face loosened as she smiled lightly. "The first place it would come is here, the source of its power."

Everyone stood there, looking around the room, mostly at the bin in question, but soon everyone gazed at me, the unofficial head of all things created by Haruhi. Despite me trying to pass the buck on to more capable people like Nagato or Koizumi, it turns out that they assumed I had the best judgment in these situations. However, I can't see why, I'm not doing anything special, I'm just relying on my gut instinct.

Hmm… Perhaps that's why; I don't have any ulterior motives, or even any overt motives, I'm just me, a normal human. What I have in me is a need to survive. Sadly with Haruhi around, it seems that I'll need to do a lot of that.

I sighed and stood up.

"Okay then, let's get in there and kill it, fast. I'm tired and I need some sleep."

Asahina-san smiled and moved closer to me, so that I could protect her. Koizumi nodded and flexed his fingers, mentally preparing for his battle.

"Accessing Primary Storage Bank." Tsuruya-san muttered, her device glowing briefly. "Maximum Power." A short chuckle and two flashes of white light appeared near her hands, and she gripped them tightly.

I hadn't seen these ones before; she had just summoned from a parallel world two small but lethal looking weapons, ones that clamped onto her arms.

"Thought we'd need some extra firepower today." She grinned.

I smiled wanly, satisfied that we were mostly ready, but not happy at the fact we had to fight yet another one of these creatures.

We all got up and walked nearer to the bin. The final member of our team looked to me for confirmation.

"Go on Nagato; send us to its world."

"Acknowledged." She blinked. Her rapid backwards speech went on for two seconds before segueing naturally into human understandable language. "Target: Nagato Yuki. Downgrade restrictions temporarily. IcePartition Barrier Offline. Hold until target is silent and normality restored."

A hint of static filled the room. She blinked once more, raised her hand to the bin, palm faced forwards, and began her incantation.

The world went white.

---  
**Author's Notes **

So, the mystery builds up again, this time there'll be a battle in the style that we're used to seeing and reading about. Hope this chapter was up to scratch!

- J


	3. Problematical Encounter

**The Death of Haruhi Suzumiya**

**Problematical Encounter**

**Chapter 3**

**Unknown location**

Weird.

That's the first thing I thought when my eyes readjusted themselves from the dimensional shift Nagato just performed.

No, this is too weird, even for Haruhi.

Yes, we're back in the desert; the sun's baking the back of my neck as I speak. The lack of wind makes this area seem to be claustrophobic, despite the wide space and empty skies. It might also be due to the fact that we're all stuck close together and that I rarely move, just in the case whatever monster I'm facing this time jumps out at me.

Yes, what wasn't strange about this tragically familiar place was the fact that the desert was changing colour, the dunes far from us were transforming into something else. It was hard to describe, something was crawling over the land from all around us. These tentacles, or whatever they were, were still a hundred metres away thankfully. They were black with glowing red parts, so it was like that lava I saw on that recent volcano eruption. Around us was the sole yellow sand left in our field of vision, and that wasn't all.

The sky had changed. It was still clear, but the part above this black and red 'thing' was green, and a very sickly looking one too.

Koizumi opened his eyes and frowned. "This is new… Nothing like we have ever expected to see…"

Tsuruya-san looked shocked, but composed herself. She pulled out her mobile phone contraption, and removed the smooth silver looking item buried by her great-great ancestor.

The titanium-caesium alloy just happened to contain remarkable circuits inside it, which enabled the user to slide to different worlds. Once Tsuruya-san, with the help of Nagato, understood what inputs the circuits required, she activated the dormant device. It seemed to need some device to interact with it. Once the first portal appeared, a somewhat pretty looking silvery-white hole hovering in midair, she jumped straight in.

It took us a full week to locate and retrieve her.

From then on she kept sliding, and took us on some adventures too, once we were sure she could pilot us home somehow.

She pointed the 300 year old cylinder at the encroaching mass. "This is weird; it's not the hostile force. In fact there's no malevolence in it…" She grinned widely. "Looks like this Earth is finally beginning to live."

I let my jaw drop. We had already confirmed that the land was bare, and no life existed. How could it suddenly grow from nothing?

"Well, you know how Haru-nyan is, this probably happened because of her."

Yeah, but that only leaves the question of, what kind of life?

Asahina-san clutched my arm tighter, and even as her tiny hands began to squeeze tighter on my skin beneath my uniform, I didn't flinch. I peeked at her quickly to see her eyes were worried.

Nagato stared at the oncoming torrent. "Analysis complete: Unable to interpret. Subsidiary and auxiliary constituents adhering at quantum level. Sector Zero reminiscent of junk data."

What a second… Did she say junk data? That was the term she used in our first real and intensely long conversation, about the information that Haruhi released into the universe.

"This is correct. This entity evolved from the input material of Haruhi Suzumiya."

Koizumi, wily as always, understood everything Nagato said, and more.

"So, in this case, where is the original entity that attained self-evolution?"

Tsuruya-san yelped as her device started flashing holographic warning signals and beeping urgently. Nagato calmly looked up at the sky directly above us, which had now turned green also.

"It's coming."

After her statement, the explosion started. I watched her accelerated speech fire up before I had a chance to cry out or blink. Her incantation summoned her impervious field, and whatever it was that landed from the sky failed to breach it. I still couldn't see what shape it was; the refraction of light behind the repulsion field distorted all of the things outside of it.

"Full power pulse."

Nagato's speech flew at the lightning speed, and the creature flew backwards at the shock it got from that field punching it somehow.

When the translucent wall died away, I wasn't the only one who stared at the monster in mild uncertainty. I know that shape, but what the hell it is doing here? It's hardly an object of fear.

Koizumi had his eyes open in mild surprise, then narrowed them after noticing the colours of the animal.

"This is bad. We're facing this without any warning. We need to plan against fighting it close up."

What, why? How is something like that dangerous?

"Species identified: Phyllobates terribilis. Caution compulsory when undertaken during engagement. Target possesses defensive poison guard, Batrachotoxin; direct contact will terminate life immediately. Offensive capabilities in evolved form unknown."

Thank you Nagato, more information for me to digest when I get out of this alive. Hang on; did you say this thing was dangerous?

"Correct."

I looked at it again, the yellow colour and black unblinking eyes were staring directly at me, but I couldn't hold back any more.

"It's a damn frog!"

How in the hell can this stupid toad be one of the most poisonous things in the world?

"Actually, that's a common misconception, a toad is from the family of frogs –"

"Incoming!"

Tsuruya-san saved us by firing her guns. The left arm let out a large plasma ball of some kinds, which exploded nicely against the chest of the frog, and her right arm laser seared into the legs of the flailing amphibian.

I grabbed Asahina-san, perhaps a little too hard given her yelp of pain and shock, and dove away from the slimy looking thing. I was sweating badly. If that thing touches me or Asahina-san, there's nothing I can do to stop this poison!

Koizumi and Nagato appeared at our sides, the former peering closely at the frog.

"I see, offensive capabilities are only now being activated… Look at him carefully…"

I stared directly at the monster, and saw the horror regenerate the lost portion of its body from the plasma ball, and its skin re-stitched itself from the laser burns.

Great, like a T-1000, it just reforms itself constantly.

"Phew! That thing's tough! Usually nothing survives a blast from these babies…"

"Nagato-san, I believe it is time for us to intervene, and eliminate this threat before anyone gets injured."

Nice one Koizumi, make yourself look to be the real hero by acting all courageous and noble.

"My apologies, would you like to fight too?"

No, please, go right ahead. I just want to go home and rest my eyes. Get it over with fast.

"Understood."

Hey, what's with the innocent looking smirk?!

"Engaging enemy."

Nagato as usual spoke when we least expected her to, and when she did, it was almost unnecessary as she began rapidspeaking again. The sand rose up and swirled around the beast, clouding us from his – or is it her? – vision.

Koizumi held out one hand in front of him, palm faced upwards and looked down at it. He frowned, and this time his whole face followed through with it.

Great, what else is wrong now?

"Impossible…"

Koizumi had a look of terror. I swear that sweat magically formed on his head as he held out another hand and cupped them both, like holding a heavy weight ball.

The thankful appearance of his fireball, or ESP energy, or whatever they use to generate that microscopic image of a sun, made me sigh. It was slightly smaller than I remembered it to be.

"Unbelievable… This is my maximum power…"

Koizumi looked at the freako horriblus, or whatever that frog was called. He jumped up really high – must be some more of his powers – and, as if performing some slam-dunk, he threw the flaming ball down.

"Revival!"

Nice battle cry!

The ball created a large gust of air as it collided with the frogs head. The sand picked up and Asahina-san and I were thrown back. Dammit Koizumi, watch out! If you hurt Asahina-san, I'll feed you that poison myself!

Three watery balls came flying at us, but Nagato saved the day again by bringing up a field. This time the octagonal shaped planes were bending inwards quite sharply.

"It is adapting." She droned. "I will neutralise that ability."

Once the acid globules melted away, Nagato walked out amongst the laser blasts of the crazy Tsuruya-san and looked up into its mouth, which opened up.

Only now did I realise what she doing.

"Nagato!"

Before I knew it, I was running away from Asahina-san, and my heart tore into little pieces as I heard her whimper away on her own. I don't know why I did this, but I knew that Nagato was doing something fairly suicidal.

"Target: Phyllobates terribilis. Requisition: Terminate acclimatisation subroutines."

I dragged her arm back just as the mouth clamped down on the sand in front of her. I could see the gleaming surface of its skin; the poison was leaking through those glands, and backed away fast, not without releasing Nagato.

Once we were safely away, as the frog was busy coughing up unpleasant dry sand, I couldn't hold myself back, and I shook Nagato slightly by her shoulders.

"Why did you do that?!"

My frustration and angst must've come through then, as she blinked twice in rapid succession. Asahina-san was staring at me with wide eyes.

I know you wanted to stop it, but why throw yourself into danger like that?

"My body can be reconstructed at any time. I am an Interface to the Data Integration –"

I already know that! I'm not accepting it as an excuse to just allow yourself to be eaten by some stupid frog!

She lowered her head by a fraction. "Requirements include proximity to the target."

Lately, her talks with me have become more coherent; I just noticed that even I no longer had to get that degree in advanced linguistics to get the basics of what she was saying.

"If you have to do that, then give us warning first! We'll back you up; don't just run in there next time!"

Tsuruya-san was tiring a bit, strength was one thing, but stamina was her poor point, and she was getting tired of running about and using her weapons.

"Understood, I shall inform you next time."

I let Nagato go; I forgot I was still holding on to her pretty hard, though she didn't complain once. I'm not sure she feels pain at all, the time when she fought with Asakura Ryouko still rings clear in my mind. Being impaled by around half a dozen metallic spikes, transformed from either the tables or chairs in the class, and she didn't mind one iota. All she said was 'I'm fine'.

Koizumi landed next to me lightly, but panting heavily.

"My powers are not working well in this reality. We must end this in the next shot."

Koizumi looked at Nagato and she nodded imperceptively. Tsuruya-san smirked as she powered up her left arm. This was probably her secret weapon.

"Acclimatisation subroutines offline. Commencing dissolution factors." She looked at me for a second. "I am intercepting the target."

I swallowed hard, and nodded back at her. This seemed to be a hard battle.

"G-good luck everyone!" Asahina-san, our little cheerleading angel, gave everyone a boost with her voice.

"Thanks Mikuru!" Tsuruya-san seemed much happier.

Koizumi was still focusing his power into his hands, and another small sphere materialised. He ran forwards.

"Releasing extra-sensory terminal barrier. Initiate data corruption upon contact."

No way… I think I turned a few shades whiter. Nagato's hands had vanished from beneath her sleeves, and these huge white things emerged. What were they exactly? My best description would be poles of light. They struck the ground from their weight.

That's the technique Asakura Ryouko used…

"Fire!" Tsuruya-san screamed, and the massive plasma ball came out from her left arm, and she aimed her right arm at the projectile.

Koizumi was nearing the side of the frog. What's he doing now? He's spinning like mad!

"Rebuild!"

With his energetic cry, he threw out that tiny glowing globe, a fast curveball pitch. Maybe he practised from that baseball match we did a while ago…

Nagato raised her energy arms and thrust them forwards, still keeping her passive expression.

I realised a little too late that being this close was tantamount to death. I scrambled as far as I could, grabbing Asahina-san and pulling her away from Ground Zero.

The explosion was deafening. My ears were ringing for almost half a minute. I couldn't even hear Asahina-san scream in fear, even though she was right next to me.

Koizumi's curveball smashed the frog straight in the head, and blew a huge hole through its jaw. Tsuruya-san fired her laser into the plasma ball, and it expanded in size, before letting out an almighty bang, over half the body taken by that shot. Nagato was still connected to it, her light arms engulfed in the fat stomach.

"Data corruption in progress."

We watched as the frog growled its last, before finally evaporating away into the air, having been reduced to its base particles.

Thank God.

Asahina-san stood up, albeit shakily, and smiled nervously. "It looks like you all killed it."

Nagato restored her energy beam arms and looked at us. Koizumi patted down a piece of his hair that frayed upwards during the battle. Tsuruya-san just laughed to herself.

However, I wasn't so sure. Yeah, we all saw it melt away, and only thanks to a joint effort by all three of our main offensive team, the chill in my bones hadn't left me yet, and I looked around trying to figure out what the hell was creeping me out.

Until I saw them.

"Umm, sorry to break this to you all, but what are those?"

I had to speak up, my body was craving it, and I had begun shaking. The others followed my hand and to where it was pointing, somewhere in the distance. Indeed, what I was indicating was something fairly abnormal; shadows had arisen in the far distance, and were coming slowly towards us.

The red-black substance was also moving, faster by the looks of things, and approaching our position.

"I see…" Koizumi was staring at them. "We are in a dire situation it seems."

"Multiple hostiles. Data life forms instantiating from encroaching viral mass."

Asahina-san started sobbing again at seeing the shadows appear in the now familiar form of the frog.

"I believe a strategic retreat is in order." Koizumi mumbled, somewhat reluctantly.

Tsuruya-san agreed. "My weapons are down; I need more time to recharge them."

Nagato probably would have no complaints about staying, though I don't know how long her temporary release of her powers would last. Asahina-san of course wanted to leave as soon as possible.

"Let's go then, we can't win against that many of them."

Nagato looked at us and held up her hand, before unleashing another incantation.

**SOS Brigade Clubroom**

As the shimmering of the transportation method that Nagato used died down, we all stood there in silence, until Nagato whispered, almost to herself.

"IcePartition Online. Barriers raised."

I know these previous battles hadn't exactly been life-threatening, even the one just now wasn't that bad. However, Koizumi had problems, and even Nagato had to go on the offensive to destroy it.

Koizumi still had this frown on his face, looking at his hand. "This is abnormal; I will have to contact my colleagues to see if they have suffered similar symptoms."

Tsuruya-san shook her head. "I doubt can finish them all off, they kept coming back. At this rate, if it continues to expand and evolve, the parallel universe will be completely overrun in one day, our time."

Shit, that doesn't sound good. We've been able to hold back all these things on a small patch of land on the barren Earth, but now it'll flood that universe without us there to stop it…

"Universe saturation to take place in twenty three point five hours. Gestation has accelerated; evolution will take place in one hour."

Great, now even Nagato was changing her original assumptions. What does this means?

"Life form will invade base reality using energy harvested from universe." She blinked once. "I am unable to restore normality in that universe. Junk data is fluctuating rapidly. Instability detected in seven of eight phases."

Asahina-san held her ear again, and bit her juicy lower lip.

Stop it Kyon! Now's not the time to be staring at her lips!

Our resident maid blushed a bit, then spoke with her wavering voice. "T-Time quake imminent!"

The world went silent, but nothing happened, at least for everyone outside of the room. The lights flickered rapidly, and the air inside our humble clubroom has shifted somewhat. I can't quite say how.

Koizumi held his head as if he was suffering a migraine, Tsuruya-san cursed as electrical bolts fired through her weapons. Even Nagato was affected; she was swaying from side to side slightly, blinking throughout.

Me? I was dizzy, as if I was turning around for a hundred revolutions, and I was close to emptying my stomach over our relatively pristine flooring.

Once I got my bearings, holding on to the clothes rack that Haruhi acquired from the drama society, I had a final look at Asahina-san.

I don't think I've ever seen her like this… She was fully crying, her eyes all red from tears, and she was clutching her head tightly.

Being the gentleman that I wanted to be, I tried to run to her, but I was still woozy from the nausea. Someone else did that job.

Damn you Koizumi. That was my task!

"I'm sorry, but she needs to sit down before anything more happens."

Fine, but make sure you let her go as soon as she is seated, or I'll show you what I'm 1 feeling through my fists.

Koizumi smiled inanely, holding up his hands in deference to me. Tsuruya-san took our attention away by sending her weapons back to her off-world, off-universe storage space.

Tired from the battle, and the disturbance in the clubroom, we all sat around the table, me and Tsuruya-san beside Asahina-san, Koizumi and Nagato opposite us.

"Mikuru!" The upperclassman spoke up first. "Are you okay? Is everything alright?"

For the moment, all that could be heard were the racking sobs of Asahina-san. At this moment, I'd want to punch anyone that made her this sad, but the lack of a physical object of punishment stayed my wrath for a bit longer. As she sniffed up her sorrows a bit, she calmed down.

"M-My superiors are having trouble responding to me. I need to go back and report what is happening here to them."

My mind recalled the mysterious Asahina-san (Big), her childlike demeanour, still present even in those years of her life; but yet the hidden side, the secrets, the knowledge, and the lies. She was… is… - or is it will be? – the person I had adored since I saw her. However, the Asahina-san from the further future is someone I'm in two minds about, the incident with the turtle and erasing her own memories, by sending her younger self back in time, is not something I agreed with, even to this day. The last straw was having me save the Bespectacled Boy from drowning in the nearby abandoned pool. I knew how important he was to the future, but it was no reason to force me into the path to stumble upon him there.

Koizumi leaned forwards. "Did anything happen to the future timeline?"

Asahina-san shook her head. "I-I'm not sure as yet, I need to go back and see what has happened there."

"I need to reboot my timer; it seems that the previous universe will be flooded soon. I need to set up the monitor…"

Tsuruya-san was uncharacteristically sombre, as we all knew that the monitor had yet to be started. This would inform us of an estimated time till total saturation of the parallel reality.

And the time we had left for the incursion into our world.

"The entrance will be in this room somewhere. Only in this room can that form manifest itself…" Koizumi stated ominously; how nice of him to lower our moods further.

A flicker of thought tickled the back of my head, and I brought back a casual remark he made a while ago. How our clubroom had transformed into a differing space, and had varying types of elements and force fields battling and negating each other. He said that they reached saturation, and were now more or less normal, but obviously this meant normal for 99.9 percent of humans. To the rest of us, and presumably artificial life forms, this would be heaven for them, and their first point of call and entry.

"Source of life form evolution detected." Nagato looked at the bin. "Mucous membrane material." She pulled out the offending tissue from yesterday, it was scrunched up. "Coagulated blood is also present."

Blood? That's not normal… Sure, we may cough up a bit of phlegm, but blood?

Is there anything we can do?

"I will get information from my friends. Perhaps we can have them on standby to stop this."

I looked at everyone, and then focused on Nagato.

"Any way this is related to the Data Integrated Thought Entity?"

"No. Life form evolved from genetic data imparted by Haruhi Suzumiya. Junk data in life form conforms to Suzumiya signature."

I puzzled my head around her words and ended up facing backwards, is that a yes or a no?

Nagato blinked once. "It is a unique life form, created by Haruhi Suzumiya."

Wow Haruhi, you have a kid, and you don't even know it yet! Shame it's a giant yellow frog that spits instant death poison at you…

Koizumi interjected my thoughts. "In the meantime, I believe we should continue our activities as normal, coming to school is one thing, and arriving at the clubroom at our usual time would also be pertinent." He looked at us with his business-like eyes. "As I'm sure none of you need reminding, we do not inform Suzumiya-san about any of this. For the beginning of the invasion, we need to insure that she does not enter the clubroom, under any circumstances."

They all nodded, apart from Nagato and me, seeing as I'm the one who's going to have primary contact with her throughout the school day.

I watched as Nagato walked over to her sci-fi book from earlier and clapped it shut.

The end of the day.

We picked up our belongings and shuffled towards our lone exit, our moods considerably lessened than before. I noted that even Nagato's shoulders were slightly drooping, as if a great weight was above her. Of course, it was only by a millimetre or two, but I saw it.

As we reached the exit of the school, we walked down the long, tiresome journey down the hill as the sun decided to slip in behind some clouds.

We stopped at the beginning of the rise and looked at each other once; nodding we all went our separate ways. Asahina-san walked alongside Tsuruya-san; presumably our maid lived on the way to the Tsuruya mansion. Koizumi walked in completely the opposite direction, as Nagato walked in a middling route, coincidentally one I had to take, jogging a little to catch up to her, I slowed down to walk at her pace.

She didn't adjust her soft padding steps, nor did she even acknowledge my presence, though we both knew why I was there.

"Will your employer give you access if you need to change things?" I asked.

"If the situation deteriorates further, I will activate my hindered functions."

I nodded, that much was understandable.

"Nagato…" I knew this was a loaded question, like that time I asked her if there really was a life after death, and her subsequent, and shockingly surprising response. "Will we win this battle?"

I didn't realise that I stopped moving until I saw her feet move to a standstill a bit ahead of me. She replied whilst still looking forwards. "Inadequate information obtained. Conference with the Data Integrated Thought Entity required before –"

"I don't care about that Sentient Entity or whatever!"

I was still mad at him/her/it for trying to punish Nagato. Again, I saw that my feet had moved and I was now in front of Nagato, holding both her shoulders. I let go quickly.

"Sorry…" I had to calm down. "I don't care what your boss says; I just want your own, personal, opinion."

Nagato stood there, her head angled up at me, her perfect poker face giving nothing away. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out for half a second.

I caught my breath. Her eyes, I'd never seen them like this before.

"I… do not know."

She didn't say a word after that, and stood there for a minute longer, before taking the time to walk around my larger body, making her way steadily to her plush apartment building, but her sparse home.

I turned and saw the diminutive girl walk away, without even saying goodbye or looking back once. Not that I expected them anyway, this was Nagato, the queen of hiding her emotions and human body language.

However, thanks to my unique position as the sole person Nagato would speak to or a fairly regular basis, I knew her well enough to see the rare lapses in her demeanour and was offered a full view to her inner feelings.

But, she had hesitated in speaking, something unheard of for her. And she said that, with her own immense knowledge, she could not tell if we would win.

Those eyes, just scant seconds earlier.

They showed fear.

---  
**Author's Notes**

Bit of a long chapter here, the battle was rather long winded. Still, I hope I've captured your attention now to make you wish for more updates!

Of course, it's not just as the title says; there will be a whole lot more happening in the story…

- J


	4. Infiltration

**The Death of Haruhi Suzumiya**

**Infiltration**

**Chapter 4**

**11 days ago  
That night**

Sleep didn't come easy to me; in fact I think I barely had a full hour of relaxation time throughout the whole night. My body was all fidgety about something; I couldn't stay still and kept tossing and turning about in my bed.

All that was prevalent in my thoughts was that the world could end tomorrow.

Despite all this, my relative calmness was peaceful, but infuriatingly so. Aren't I supposed to be panicking about now? Making arrangements with my parents to get the hell away from here?

But no, here I am, stuck in my warm bed, cat hairs tickling my nostrils from Shamisen sleeping on my pillow. Even now he's tucked in with me, under the covers, but at the foot of the bed. He flicked his tails a few times, annoyed at my shuffling legs, and moved further to the edge, but he didn't leave the security of the quilt.

Why am I still here? Perhaps I feel that we can all make it through this somehow. Maybe we can stop this thing from spreading. We could even save the world from it.

Then again, it might be due to the fact that I might be feeling the effects of sickening guilt. I knew it, and the others probably guessed on their own, what we did, according to my instructions.

We fought that frog thing because I told them to. Like I always did, we had to stop it before the thing grew on its own. But none of us knew what would happen, we ended up speeding up its evolution, and we were now going to pay for it.

I squeezed my forehead again, trying to stop the migraine from returning.

I hadn't heard anything from the others. By now they must've spoken with their various people and organisations. I only had my own thoughts to keep me company, that, and my little sister bounding about my room with all her energy, Shamisen curling up at my feet when I tried to do my homework, and my mum calling me for dinner.

Who am I kidding? I couldn't share this with anyone, no one would believe me. Taniguchi and Kunikida would've just gawked at me. 'Course, I can't tell them anything, the truth was indeed stranger than fiction.

My ticking alarm clock's hands glowed in the dark, 3:57, early morning obviously.

I'd better try to get some sleep.

**Later that day  
North High  
Homeroom period**

Hmm, my cheek is all wet, I wonder why? My subconscious told me that something urgent was happening; my back was being assaulted.

My sleep afflicted senses analysed the object thrust into my back at regular jaunts, and concluded that whatever it was, it was sharp, and small, like a needle.

My eyes lolled about inside their sockets, and I immediately arrived at the only possible conclusion.

A mechanical pencil.

"Hey Kyon! Wake up you lazy bones!"

Lifting my head, I cursed to find my half a page of hurriedly copied notes of Kunikida all smeared, not to mention stuck to my face due to copious amounts of saliva. Peeling it off, I turned to look at Haruhi.

"Wow, you look terrible." Thanks for that comment. "Did you get any sleep?"

I wasn't sure what she was looking at, though I might chance at the giant black bags under my eyes. I might look good as a zombie in the next movie Haruhi inevitably has planned.

"Hey, you know, that's not a bad idea! Kyon, evil school boy resurrected from the grave to feast on the brains of young virgins! You could go up against Mikuru-chan too!"

My stomach lurched, and then gurgled loudly, as it usually does when you stay up all night. Your digestive tract, and in fact, the rest of your body, suffers weird side-effects from lack of sleep. I hope, to any Gods that are out there watching this, please don't make me a zombie out for brains. Just what I need to make my character seem appealing to the rest of my classmates. I'm already shunned because of my association with our beloved Brigade chief.

I took this chance to look at her properly, the first time that day. She didn't look too well either; her eyes were a tad red, though not from crying. She'd never admit to something like that. They were also tired looking, similar looking, though smaller, bags present. Guess she didn't sleep well either.

"Yeah, I think it was stuffy in my room or something. I even turned the air-conditioner on, but I couldn't get enough of my beauty sleep."

I left my comments regarding beauty inside me.

By the way, she had her ponytail on today.

"Maybe you could go to bed earlier…" I remarked casually.

She gave me an odd look. "That's the thing, I felt sleepy, but I wasn't able to, it's strange, huh?"

I nodded as my eyelids flickered downwards; I was rapidly losing the battle against staying awake. I resorted to my classic tactic of allowing one eyelid to remain closed, getting sleep there, whilst barely holding the other one open to enable me to see.

"What, are you drunk now?" Haruhi teased, then smirked. "Ah, so you use that too? I used to do that, until a few years ago."

Hmm, a few years means more than a couple, and less than several, so I'll estimate this time as 4 years ago.

Yes, THAT year, THAT Tanabata festival.

The bell rang, and I dragged myself out of my seat for the first lesson.

**3:04pm  
Clubroom**

Alone for once, I was amazed, Nagato must be at a lesson, though I'm not even sure I ever saw her go to one…

Haruhi burst out of our class at the end of our penultimate lesson, joy written on her face at being able to leave early. Our last teacher was sick, so we were free to do whatever we wanted, though almost everyone elected to go home.

Almost.

I was here, waiting while some horror was about to be unleashed on us. To pass the time, I turned the computer on and tried to remember the name of that thing we saw. When I saw a more familiar name to it, my jaw dropped.

"Golden Poison Dart frog…"

I read up more on it, and knew that this wasn't an enemy to take lightly. Frowning and thinking that time was rapidly running out before the possible end of the world was coming, I decided to at least die happy.

Showing all hidden files and folders, I uncovered my 'mikuru' folder in the photos directory for our website. These were local files of course, I'm not having any of the great unwashed outside of this room see these on the web. Clicking on the first picture, I saw the sad tear-filled eyes of Asahina-san.

Though her expression was very distressed, it made me feel a bit warmer inside my bones and I wanted nothing more than to see the real thing sooner rather than later.

I was probably looking at them for a long time, as the door opened in no time. My fast fingers quickly removed any sign of what I was looking at. Koizumi was looking at me with a mildly amused expression. That bastard, he probably already knew…

I left my webpage open, in case I wanted to get back at it later, and walked over to the four others. They all sat down calmly.

"My group is standing by to help in case we cannot control the emergence." Koizumi commented.

"My family's also here, and I have access to the weapon storages and megas nukes if need be!"

Tsuruya-san, if there ever is a world war again, I hope to be on your side.

I only wonder what other memories you unlocked from within yourself using that timer of yours…

Asahina-san was shaking slightly. "I… I can't do much, but I'll be able to report to them live for around ten minutes, but it will take a lot of power…"

How much power can a live link to the future possibly cost?

"Classified Information." She mumbled, then tilted her head slightly, as if re-evaluating her opinion. "Actually, it won't hurt to tell you. It will drain all electricity generated from two fusion reactors for ten days."

Wha…? Fusion reactors? Have those even been invented yet? Sounds like time travel is a bit of a problem when it comes to paying bills…

And how come now I'm allowed to know something like this? Surely the knowledge that you have fusion reactors will let me know about when you're from…

I turned to Nagato, who was waiting patiently.

"Access levels have been raised temporarily for engagement. The Data Integration Thought Entity is currently monitoring this situation carefully. Other human interface terminals have been stationed in nearby premises to be called into action."

My heart slowed slightly at thinking of Asakura Ryouko, but I saw Nagato stare at me. The power behind those eyes reminded me of her vow to not let any one of them hurt me again. The only other interface I knew about was Kimidori Emiri-san, so I wondered if it was her and some others waiting.

"Haruhi said she wanted to get home quick, so she's gone by now." I said.

Asahina-san looked around the room again as her ear caught her attention again. "Time quake aftershocks detected, this area will suffer two of them. Effects on future unknown."

We all stared at the bin, but truthfully the incursion could be at any point. What was I doing here? I can't fight at all, I'm worse than Asahina-san…

"On the contrary, you are the one we can rely on when things take a turn to the unexpected." Koizumi remarked.

Words of praise from you sound nice, but deep down I can't help but consider the fact that you're just pandering to my ego.

Before I had a chance to send a cutting retort, my skin grew clammy, and even my vision was getting hazy.

It has begun.

"Anomalous data quantifying and extrapolating into base reality."  
"Time quake aftershock detected!"  
"Closed Space conditions. All matter outside this room unaffected."  
"Dimensional portals opening from U825. Multiple microscopic locations."

This is it… I could feel my back already soaked with sweat. What was going to happen, none of us could predict. Asahina-san was holding her ear constantly, probably getting the live link established. Koizumi was holding out his hands, ready to produce his fire, Tsuruya-san had her timer out, and was prepared to access her off-world storage. Nagato stood there passively, though she wasn't holding a book this time, and her eyes seemed clinical. I knew that she was probably the one most prepared if anything appeared in here.

Everything was still for several seconds, until the worst possible situation occurred.

The door slammed open, and in strode the person we all expected least, and the person we all wanted least.

Yes, Haruhi Suzumiya had returned.

"Hey everyone, how are you?"

I don't think I will ever forget the stunned looks on everyone. Nagato blinked three times in succession, the most ever.

"Sorry about running off like that, I just had to dump my things at home; I forgot to do a chore my dad asked me to before I left for school. I finished it quick, and now I'm back."

Yes, the peculiar feeling was still in this room, it hadn't stopped one iota.

She must've sensed something too, or perhaps it was because none of us had said anything.

"What's up with you all?" She strode over to the blackmailed goods (also known as the computer) and sat down huffily. "You're all tense; you should loosen up now that your great leader is here!"

Her energy however failed to dissipate the incredulity, Koizumi was still stuck in his pose.

Haruhi gave up talking with us, and shook the mouse to vanish away the screensaver of the SOS Brigade's logo bouncing about on the monitor, and for a few seconds, the clicking on the mouse buttons was the sole sound in the room.

I looked at Nagato; the only person would be able to shed light on how Haruhi got here without her detection. Her slight shake of the head meant that even she couldn't tell. It must be the new energy in this room, it affected everyone's senses. I'm sure that Tsuruya-san and Koizumi's mobile phones wouldn't be working through the interference either.

"Hey Kyon? What stuff have you been reading up on?"

I panicked slightly, my webpage must still be minimised. Haruhi most definitely would've opened it without pause.

"Ah…" I held my hand behind my head, and tried to think of a cover. "I was doing some research for my schoolwork. That was one of the subjects in the biology class."

She stared at my face for two seconds, before declaring. "Liar!" I hung my head low. "I'm in the same class as you, idiot! I would've known about this, and it's not like you use this computer to check out extra research. You probably surf 2chan all day when I'm not here!"

2chan, what's she on about? I moved closer to try to coax her out. "Hey Haruhi, how about we get a drink? I don't feel like tea really…"

"Not interested." As always, impossible to please.

The lights flickered, and five out of six of the people in the room grew even more anxious. Haruhi frowned and looked up. "This won't do… I'll bet it's that bastard, the Student Council President." She reached for the keyboard. "I'll show him what I ca-"

Again, Haruhi was interrupted, like three days ago. However, this time there was a reason, her fingers were blue, and in contact with the keyboard. Her mouth opened out wide, but no screams came out. As some strange purple electricity circled around her, her eyes rolled up into her head.

That was when I saw the black tendrils touching her from between the keys. Her nails were blackened and whatever it was burrowed under them.

It was over in seconds, but it felt much longer. I didn't have a chance to pull her away in time.

Haruhi fainted onto the keyboard, and stopped moving.

"Haruhi! HARUHI!"

I tried shaking her lightly, but no response was forthcoming. The others had gathered around me. Koizumi pulled out his mobile and, seeing that it had a signal, contacted someone.

"An ambulance will be here in one minute."

He felt up Haruhi's neck; don't touch her that way!

"I'm merely checking for a pulse." His smile returned, but a lot tamer than before. "It's there, but faint."

Asahina-san was conversing silently with someone, her eyes seemed zoned out; maybe she was receiving orders?

Tsuruya-san was fiddling with her timer. Her happy expression disappeared. "U825 is now devoid of all life and matter…"

I knew what that meant; the evil virus was now inside Haruhi, an entire universe against her immune system. Even she would have trouble against that.

The only one left to look at stepped closer; I looked at her, almost pleadingly. "Nagato…"

She looked at Haruhi and held out her hand. Following some SQL queries a vague blue light emanated from her hand. She withdrew it slowly.

"Well?" I'm having trouble holding my temper and depression.

She shook her head once. "Data lock out. Read-only access available. Virus has commenced takeover of Haruhi Suzumiya."

Wait, does that mean you need access to your higher functions?

"Correct. However the Data Integration Sentient Entity is not responding to my requests."

What? That's a bit harsh of him/her/it…

"I am attempting Class 1 Critical Effect beacons, however responses are delayed. I will continue to do so."

Nagato blinked once. This must be something serious, I'm not sure she is able to function without direct access to the Sentient Entity, like that time. Perhaps one of those internal groups, the Moderates, the Innovative, the Compromise, and the Thinking party are trying something here?

Man, I'm shuddering if the Macrospatial Quantum Cosmic Existence is affecting Nagato again, like that time. They did create the Snow Mountain incident…

At this point, the paramedics appeared; their stretcher outside. They gently picked up Haruhi and carted her off. We all followed close by; the school was mostly empty, though a few club members did peek out of their windows to watch us. I think I saw the Computer Research Society President looking at us oddly; perhaps with a bit of worry?

Outside, I could see clearly now who was in the driver's seat of the ambulance, none other than Arakawa-san. Only now did I notice that one of the paramedics tending to Haruhi was Mori-san. Her enigmatic but kind smile put me at ease. No doubt she has taken courses in nursing, as she seems proficient with all the necessary equipment and typical care you would expect from a health care worker. I climbed inside and sat by Haruhi, watching her carefully.

However something else caught my attention. Apart from the occasional onlooker, the black limousine that could only belong to Tsuruya-san, and even some fairly passive people watching, again possibly Human Interface Terminals, there was one other object that struck me before the doors to the ambulance closed in front of me.

A green minivan driving away.

**---  
Author's notes**

Well, more or less a filler chapter, but it gets the point across I hope. So, this was how Haruhi caught the disease, a whole universal plague.

Still, enjoy!

- J


	5. Waiting

**The Death of Haruhi Suzumiya**

**Waiting**

**Chapter 5**

**Later that evening  
The hospital**

The sound of someone sitting on my right jolted me out of my reverie. A warm cup of tea was passed my way, and I'm not sure how, but my hands moved on their own and accepted it.

"Her condition has stabilised." Koizumi said in a low tone. "She's on a respirator still though."

"Any sign that she'll get out of her coma?"

I didn't bother to hide my anguish, knowing that this was probably all my fault.

"Nothing concrete as yet, and don't punish yourself, it's much my own fault as it was yours." Koizumi smile faltered. "In fact, you could say that I am more to blame, I failed to take action when I needed to most."

Guess you're right; I was left to fend for myself at that point.

Koizumi resumed his plain smile, though it was hinting at inner pain. "I was hoping you'd defend me somehow. I believe that it is still too soon to be talking with you frankly over this matter." He stood up heavily. "I will consult with Mori-san and Akamaru-san, they've also noticed that their powers have become harder to generate. You can be assured that Suzumiya-san will receive the best treatment from our facility.

Our conversation ended with me turning my head away from him. I didn't want to look at him right now. After his footsteps padded away, two new feet appeared in my floor-bound gaze, followed by a happy face.

"Hey there, Kyon!"

Despite the circumstances, Tsuruya-san was still smiling. Her innocent but wise-beyond-her-years expression made me inadvertently crack one of my own. For that precious second, I forgot where I was, and what had happened.

Lowering the sides of my lips, since it would be disrespectful to be grinning at a time like this, I looked in Tsuruya-san's eyes, and she stared back at me, understanding immediately. She sat next me, thankfully on the different side from Koizumi earlier.

"My family is looking into this. I'm going to use the timer to find some possible cure on another planet-sa." She gave me a thumbs up, and starting patting my shoulder manically. "Don't you worry; Haru-nyan will be up and about in no time flat! I'll see to it that she gets better." She leapt to her feet, startling me slightly. She pulled out her special mobile phone. "I've got it covered; I'm going to the more advanced places I remember from my past self, like the place I got those weapons from." Her grin was infectious, as was her enthusiasm. "See yas later!"

She jogged off to the exit and left the building. Little did I know that I wouldn't see her for another week, otherwise I'd've acted a bit more positive for her.

"Kyon-kun..."

Ahh, those dulcet tones could only come from our mascot. The delicate angel sat to my left and looked at me with her big watery eyes.

"Hi, Asahina-san."

"Umm…" She was fidgeting a lot, her hands were scrunching up her uniform skirt, and she seemed to be gripping them tightly. "My future contacts say to monitor the situation here… The second aftershock happened at the moment Suzumiya-san touched the keyboard. The effects haven't reached the future yet, it's still passing down slowly through the time stream, and we don't know what will happen."

Okay, I wasn't expecting her to talk about business right now.

"Ah, is that so…"

What else could I say? Nod and agree that it was a bad thing?

Something brushed against my hand, and I saw that it was the smaller hand of my sempai. "Kyon-kun, I'm here for you… I can't bring back any medicine from the future, but I can help you, somehow."

She looked away, unsure of herself, her other hand was between her lips, as if she didn't know what to say.

This incident reminded me of the time I tried to cheer her up, all those months ago, after saving the Bespectacled Boy from getting run over. My clumsy technique back then is being unconsciously mimicked here, and that brought a smile back to my face. I reached over with my other hand, and held it over her supple skin, her hand now sandwiched between mine.

"It's okay, Asahina-san. Thank you for worrying, but I'll be fine… I just need some time to work out what is going on here." Her mood lifted, and it seemed to improve mine too.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'll be waiting when you need my shoulder to rest on."

Just hearing those words from you has elevated me from my self-imposed darkness. Knowing that there is someone out there that knows what I'm feeling and wants to help me, instead of fixing the situation, makes one feel special.

Releasing her hand's prison, I was mildly surprised at seeing her hand still there and showing no signs of it being pulled away. The warmth of her upper arm against my sleeve was comforting, and I felt glad that someone was taking the time to just sit with me and not say anything.

Any time I think it was going to happen, it turns out to be a trip, crazy vacation, orders, or just wishful thinking on my half.

Even with Asahina-san, we fell into this trap often enough. Asahina-san (Big) was even worse, dumping lots of information on me when I least expected it, each time I was left feeling just that bit stupider at expecting anything to come from our 'relationship'.

My left shoulder suddenly felt heavier, and the scent of eucalyptus tickled my scent buds. I checked my nine o'clock and my vision was a lot pinker than usual.

Yes, Asahina-san was leaning against me fully, her snoozing face inches from mine.

Realising probably that her head was now supported on a comfortable surface, her eyes slowly open, and then jerked to their full height.

"Auu... Umm..." She sat up straight, even going so far as withdrawing her hand for now, tucking them both in to her skirt. Her cute face was red, and she refused to look at my face.

It was adorable.

I couldn't help but chuckle a little, and I smiled at her, to relax her nerves. It seemed to work as she unwound her tense muscles.

I looked across from me in the waiting room. If someone was worrying about the situation, and someone else was worrying about me, then surely I should be worried about someone, aside from the obvious.

Nagato hadn't moved from her position when she sat down with us, without her book; it was unnerving to me to see her head angled down at a specific spot on the floor. Her hands were placed in her lap, and she surely stopped all physical activity. I'm not even sure if her eyes have been watered recently.

I got up from my seat, and made my way to her, sitting on her right. The plastic chairs I'm so used to in the normal hospitals thankfully were not replicated here; we instead had some fairly comfortable cushioned chairs. Nagato was sitting on the edge of her seat, hardly a tenable position. Resting my arms over the armrests, I leant forwards, slouching a bit given my teenage attitude to life, and looked at her face.

Despite my initial assumption that Nagato had yet to show any sign of life outside that of a doll or shop window mannequin, I saw that, while slight, her lips were making up and downwards movements. Behind those lips, I could hear her quiet voice, working at human understandable speed, though still faster than what is normally accepted by us.

"... Disk Error. Disk Error. Unable to read from Data Integrated Thought Entity. Abort, Retry, Ignore? Retry. Accessing Root folder... 5 percent complete... 27 percent complete... 53 percent complete... 81 percent complete... CRC Check failed in 97th percentile piece. Disk Error..."

At this point, Nagato stopped her vocal instructions, and looked up at me.

"Nagato, what's wrong? I've never seen you like this..."

She blinked once. "Access to Data Integration Sentient Entity is corrupted. I have been unable to get access for four point eleven hours."

While mathematics wasn't my strong point, I still tried to apply a decimal calculation to the strangeness of the sixty minutes in a normal time cycle. Getting an exact measure was impossible, but the approximation was as I expected.

Since Haruhi was infected by the parallel universe.

"Nagato, you should rest, this much stress on you can't be good."

"My body doesn't suffer from stress related illnesses. If a part of me fails to function, my terminal will be replaced with another."

"No!"

I refrained from grabbing her this time; I've been doing that far too often these past few days. I settled for moving my face closer to her, and making my face a tad wilder. Nagato didn't budge one millimetre, as if these outbursts of mine were normal.

"Nagato is Nagato, if anyone tries to change who you are, then I'll face them myself!"

She continued regardless. "I will still be the same, only my physical self will change to a form that functions normally. My attributes and physical properties shall remain intact."

I pulled away, satisfied that at least no one was going to delete Nagato without her knowledge if a part of her was broken in some way.

"Nagato..." I looked at her seriously. "Are there other 'forces' at work here?"

Of course, I was referring to 'The Enemy', or as they chose to name themselves in our previous confrontation in the park, the 'RIP Cartel'.

Gees... The SOS Brigade as a name generally brings a sense of confusion to someone, but overall it has a positive outlook, and may even make you smile just by mentioning it. However, the RIP Cartel, all that conjures up is images of evil, death, and lots of pain.

The time travellers use the same technology as Asahina-san, but are using it to prevent the existence of time travel totally. Somewhat ironic I feel. I'm only thankful for the predestined events that have been occurring. Is this one of them? I hope so, otherwise they may have succeeded.

The espers are also a group of their own, the contrary to the Organisation, theirs is called the Family. Now, I don't know about anyone else normal, but this is not a threatening name to me, the former is far more devious sounding. When you put their apparent protagonist, the Nonchalant Lady up against Koizumi, I'd like to pick her side for the good guys.

Then again, I'm still debating whether to call her a Lady or a Bitch, from the way she handled Asahina-san in the van.

The Macrospatial Quantum Cosmic Existence is still something of a mystery to us. We just don't know what its agents look like, no one has introduced themselves to us yet. However, we can all feel the power of something far beyond human limitations affecting any of the RIP Cartel's actions.

Nagato shook her head, but elaborated. "At this point, I am unable to ascertain facts. Data collection subroutines are offline. Link to Data Integrated Sentient Entity required."

Let me get this straight, you can't analyse your surroundings without a permanent link? So, right now, you're basically lost in our world, with no way of checking out any data, suspicious or otherwise?

"That must be hard for you." I said simply; I just blurted it out without thinking.

Nagato replied after five seconds. "It is... difficult."

Her eyes were vastly deep, like staring into a billion diamonds, their light refracting everywhere. Now, they were different. They pulled you in, but not to a pleasant region; instead, the centre of it laid a black hole.

"My remaining terminal activation time stands at nine days and twenty hours, and counting."

My quirked eyebrows and blinking eyes meant what she said took a detour from my hearing canal, past its usual path to my brain, to some ether as yet unnamed. I steadied my mental neural channels to fully register her next sentence.

"I will die."

Heh, my brain scoffed at such a basic sentence, constructed of three words, a subject, verb and object. The subject is first person, referring to oneself, the verb is the future tense of 'to be', and finally, the object is infinitive of 'die'.

Good, sentence structure broken down. Analysis of the sentence is now taking place. Let's see... 'I' is talking about Nagato, 'will' means that something will happen to Nagato. All will become clear with the next word. 'Die'... Hmm, okay, that means that in the future, that is, around ten days time from what she said earlier, Nagato is going to die, without fail.

The time it takes most people to read this monologue, was the same amount of time it took me to acknowledge the same facts. My brain, naturally, processed the sentence in an instant; however my motor functions were inhibited by some freaky paralysis.

"Wh-what?"

My great response, I need to read more of my dictionary to learn some intellectual words, to come up with better vocal responses.

"Human Interface Terminals have internal power sources that last for ten days. With master control from the Data Integrated Sentient Entity, our sources are unlimited, however once connection is terminated, the power source is active."

"C-Can't you charge yourself up or something?"

"Our energy source is not anything convention, electricity for instance."

I took a few moments to think, and came up with the only possible conclusion. "I understand at last, it's Data, right?"

She nodded. "Without access to Data, my needs will continue to increase until finally my body will succumb."

"And if that happens?" To be honest I was dreading the answer.

"I will cease to exist. My body will corrode at the normal human rate, and my essence will..." She paused for three seconds exactly. "...move on."

I chose not to ask metaphysical questions at the moment. There were more pressing issues than knowing if there was an afterlife, or indeed if Nagato had a soul.

"What exactly is the problem with the Entity?"

"We are experiencing bandwidth problems. All Human Interface Terminals are suffering the same errors as me. I am attempting to reduce my upload capabilities to not overload the main pipeline."

This is pretty drastic, then even Kimidori-sempai is going through this too. Perhaps that's why I can hear Nagato actual words this time.

"Before Haruhi Suzumiya's incarceration, the Eighth Phase was ruptured. Corbenik ensured that information from the data realms and the actualised, base reality, realms remained separated. With it dissipated, the two realms are colliding with each other and equally eliminating sectors."

Wait, so when it broke, you mean the real world, or universe, is now fighting with the data world?

"Correct, however the data realm consists solely of the Data Integrated Sentient Entity. Henceforth -"

"Your employer is dying also..." I finished the sentence for her.

We both shared an equal amount of silence. This was much bigger than Haruhi getting infected, everything was changing. Time quakes that are going to affect the future, Koizumi's esper powers decreasing, one of Tsuruya-san's parallel universes disappearing, and finally, Nagato and the Entity.

"I will continue to re-establish connections with the Data Integrated Sentient Entity. Once I have done so, I will contact you."

I nodded mutely and watch as Nagato turned back to face the floor, her mumbling resuming.

"Take care of yourself Nagato." I whispered to her. Perhaps she heard me through her access protocols, perhaps not, either way, she gave no sign.

I stood up and paced for a few moments around the waiting area. Haruhi's parents were with her now, and had been for an hour. They were surprised that their daughter had been admitted to such a plush and private hospital in this small city. Koizumi of course handled the situation, explaining that he foot the bill from his wealthy family, he wouldn't hear of any protests either.

I moved over to Asahina-san. "I'm going to see Haruhi one more time, then I'm going for a brief walk outside."

She looked up startled. "Ah! Umm, okay Kyon-kun, take care." Her weak smile both warmed and saddened me, knowing that she was trying to cheer me up, while fighting her own emotions.

I walked by the reception area, by now they recognised me and knew where I was going, I had more or less free reign around here, being a friend of Koizumi does that I guess.

I made my way over to the private room of Haruhi; I hadn't actually met her parents as of yet, this would be first time. I knocked lightly on the door, and heard the quiet female voice responding. I turned the doorknob and opened the Western-style swinging door.

There were three people in the room. The patient we all know was in the bed, countless IV units hooked up to her with an artificial lung pumping air into her body. Monitors were beeping at a rhythmic rate in accordance with her pulse.

Standing by the window, sitting on the shallow window sill, was a tall man, quite normal looking, but wearing a suit and tie. A typical salaryman, though his tie was loosened greatly, his top two buttons open. His was unremarkable, dark brown hair, plain face and figure. His demeanour was that of a man in power, not in business, but of knowledge, he gave off this air of cool confidence and strength in mind. I was almost in awe at him, had I not already met remarkable people of my own.

The mother was sitting beside the bed, looking at me from an angle, her round face and eyes were reminiscent of Haruhi, though her hair was deep black. I could see one or two white hairs tucked away in its thick volume. She wore a long skirt and a buttoned shirt. Perhaps she came from work, or from home, I couldn't be sure. She definitely didn't look like a housewife though; her strong features meant she was more than that.

"Ara... Are you one of my daughter's classmates?" She looked back at Haruhi, the smile a bit melancholic. "I didn't realise that many people knew about this incident."

"Y-Yeah, I'm in the same class as her, my name is... well, she usually calls me by my nickname, Kyon."

Both parents stood up straighter, the father grew stern, and mother only increased her smile. "Ahh, so you're the boy that my daughter talks about. She mentions you a lot, how she set up a club at the school and you were the one who inspired her."

"Yes, you encouraged Haruhi to go on these meaningless hunts every Saturday." The father narrowed his eyes."

"Ara, how rude of us, my name is Kimiko, and this is my husband, Yamato."

I bowed to them to show my respect. I turned to her husband to answer his accusation. "Yamato-san, you know how Haruhi is... It's a little difficult to disagree with her."

His arched eyebrow at my calling her by her first name made me sweat, but he mellowed remarkably. "Well, that is true, the youth these days should learn to live their lives fully, even if it means doing silly things now and then."

Yes, this man passed on his rapid mood swings and knowledge to Haruhi, that I have no doubt.

I looked at the girl and kept my face neutral. "Is there any change?"

Kimiko-san looked back at her, and her smiled was little forced this time. "The doctors say there's no change in her condition. They're flying in experts from around the world; they've never seen anything like it before. I appreciate everything Koizumi-kun has done."

Yeah, he's a real treat.

"I heard you were the one who went in the ambulance with her..." She continued.

For some strange reason, my face grew hotter.

"You must care for her a great deal." Her smile was kind, and even Yamato-san was looking at me appraisingly.

"I... I just look out for her a little..."

What were my feelings to her? I still wasn't sure myself.

"Well, I just wanted to see how she was. I'll take my leave now." I bowed to both of them. "Nice to meet you, Yamato-san, Kimiko-san."

"Same here, Kyon-kun." Yamato-san replied, as Kimiko-san nodded.

I left, ensuring to close the door quietly behind me. I followed the signs and exited the hospital. Despite it being a private clinic as well, I hadn't seen a single person around aside from us enter or leave the building.

I sighed, just how influential was the Organisation, did they just build a hospital for our exclusive use? Well, there was that case with Nakagawa, that guy obsessed with Nagato.

Well perhaps I'm getting a little too paranoid; it might just have been a quiet period. The road outside was quiet, just the sound of one vehicle purring away behind me as I went to one corner. Only the distant sound of traffic and car horns beeping gave me the impression I was in the centre of the city.

Then, moments later, I was dragged into a vehicle. I was so caught by surprise that my limbs were unable to react in time.

Once I started to resist, I found myself sitting comfortably on a seat at the back of a van, looking at two people I hated.

"Well, little boy, we meet again." He took his hat off, though why was the freak wearing it inside in the first place? "Suffice to say, things are going according to our plan." His smile looked poisonous.

The Sneering Bastard looked me down with disdain.

"I can't believe it's you, of all the possibilities…" He rubbed his head at a personal joke.

What the hell is he talking about? They didn't even bother to tie my hands up, I could knock him out with ease, but I'm not sure he'd take it happily.

"Hey, come on, not everyone has to look strange. Besides, he's kinda cute." The female voice made me scrutinise her more, but I could see nothing hidden behind her innocent smile. "Even if he says no, I'm sure things will work out."

The Nonchalant Lady was airily waving everything off. I looked to the front and saw the two other espers of the Family driving the van. One checked his wing mirror idly.

"They've detected us, we're speeding up."

Sure enough the van increased its rate of travel, and I felt myself pressed into the seat due to the g-force.

"It looks like time is against us again. We'll have to explain things to you in a hurry." The Sneering Bastard grinned at me. "I can see it in your eyes; you just want to hit me. Go ahead, I won't stop you, but first listen to us, then decide."

"Oh really? What could you possibly say that would interest me?"

My fists were still closed up, ready to hit that bitter smirk. The Nonchalant Lady held up her hands conciliatory.

"Now, now, there's no need for violence. I give you my word, we're just going to talk to you, and let you go. Nothing more, nothing less." She looked to the git. "Isn't that right?" Her smile was peaceful.

"Feh…" The Bastard ran a hand through his slick hair. He looked at me sharply. "There's only one reason we wanted to speak to you."

"You mean kidnap me, right?" I couldn't keep my anger out of my voice.

"Whatever…" He smirked, and pierced me with his gaze. "We want you to join us."

"What?!"

**Ten minutes later  
Outskirts of the city**

"Okay, now release him at once!"

The Tamaru brothers, or friends since I never knew what their relationship was with each other, were using the megaphone.

However, my heart was pounding, and my mind was close to breaking, all the information dumps were getting to me, and this one was guaranteed to stay with me for a long time.

The Nonchalant Lady smiled sympathetically at me. "Now you see, don't you? Why we need you?" She shrugged her shoulders. "Of course, if you don't want to, that's fine by us too."

The Sneering Bastard still looked devilish. "So, remember, you have a week to make your choice. We'll be waiting at that place for you, and you can meet the final members of our group." The van door opened and I made my way to it. "Remember, everything is up to you from now on. Will you let the world die, or will you save it?"

His chuckle chilled me to the bone, knowing that choice I had to make now. Even as I sat in the car of the Tamaru brothers, I still felt cold.

The image of the Bastard shutting the door, his face still cracking at the seams at my fate, would stick with me for the next week.

---  
**Author's Notes**

Heh, hope you like the new ideas I came up with, the RIP Cartel (sounds cool), the Family and the Nonchalant Lady, the charismatic woman from Volume 7 who was alongside the Sneering Bastard.

I'm not sure if this story will be considered Novel 9 compliant, but we'll see once the whole thing is translated.

- J


	6. Undisclosed Information

**The Death of Haruhi Suzumiya**

**Undisclosed Information**

**Chapter 6**

**30 minutes later  
The hospital**

"Are you sure they didn't harm you?"

Koizumi's inquisitional style was grating on my nerves.

"I'm sorry; it just seems peculiar that they would want you…"

Why, because I'm a 'normal' human?

His questioning gaze muddled his expression. "Well, yes, they only targeted Asahina-san because of her relation to the future."

I was steadfast and blanked him completely, not wanting to answer. Sighing as if the Celestials were clambering on him for a piggy-back ride, he got up and left to talk things over with the Tamaru brothers.

"Umm… Kyon-kun…" Asahina-san meekly appeared to my side again. "Are you okay?"

Despite the relentless questions, I put on a happy face and smiled for her. "Yes, I am, thanks."

"Did they… drug you?" She shivered at that point, probably thinking about how they chloroformed her during the last kidnapping attempt.

Not wanting to worry her, I told her that I was made comfortable. Her relieved manner warmed me; it's pleasant to know that someone would care for me so much.

Nagato was sitting in the same position. I didn't want to interrupt any longer than necessary, lest her functions fail because of my nagging her.

However, without any prompts, she stopped her mumbling and looked straight at me. Standing up, she went directly to me and looked down from her higher elevated position.

Asahina-san began quivering again; I'll never understand why she has to be so nervous about Nagato. Perhaps because she's a Human Interface Terminal?

"You were abducted by the RIP Cartel. Surface scans show no physical injuries."

"Scans?" I thought you couldn't read any data without your connection with your boss?

"Surface scans do not require advanced level diagnostics and analysis routine. Visual confirmation alone will suffice for this purpose."

Ahh, I get it… You used your eyes like the rest of us, huh?

She nodded. "Indeed."

I glanced quickly at Asahina-san. "Erm, Nagato, this may be a weird request, but can we speak in private for a moment?"

She paused as her eyes registered Asahina-san, as if it was the first time she recognised her throughout the conversation.

"Very well. Follow me."

I got up, leaving our pink-haired time traveller in the waiting area, and was two steps behind our petite bookworm, as she navigated the hospital, only to arrive at the exit and for us to go outside into the open.

"Umm, Nagato, I don't really want to go all the way home for this…"

"I understand." She stopped dead where she was without warning, and I almost bumped into her.

I gave a confused looked at the doors to the hospital, which were now ten metres behind us.

"Without in-depth scans, I was unable to determine if closed-circuit cameras or audio recorders were tracking us and our conversation. I reasoned that the outside, with its background noise, should cover us. Even now though, I am uncertain as to whether we are being covertly spied upon."

Now it made sense, Nagato was just being cautious. Maybe even she feels nervous being surrounding by the Organisation.

She was standing there looking at me in her usual guise, waiting patiently.

Ah yeah, I wanted to speak to her.

"Nagato… This might be a strange question, but I want you to try to answer it honestly." I cleared my throat to get this out of the way, once and for all. "Am I a normal human?"

She stood there, taking in this monumentally stupid, but deep question. She blinked once. "Surface scans shows that you are human." She continued knowing that I wanted more. "The Data Integrated Thought Entity also classified you as human, although your connection to Haruhi Suzumiya marks you as a special individual."

"Special in what way?"

I had to know.

"Special in the sense that you have the unique ability amongst everyone in the known world to influence her thoughts and behavioural patterns."

This time, it was me who was stunned. Me, affect Haruhi? She's a force unto herself; if she believed that romantic evenings required a full moon in the night sky background, she would drag the Moon, cowering away elsewhere around our planet, to bring it into full view. She would even petition the government to create more Moons so there'd be a full one each night.

Likewise, if things didn't go her way, she would try to bash things into place to make them work, like putting together a puzzle. Instead of agreeing to the standard form of figuring out the correct piece, she would instead go for the child-like version of pounding obviously wrong pieces together to make them work.

She wouldn't even admit her own mistakes, so why the hell was I the only one to affect her?

"Because you are you." Nagato replied to my rhetorical question. "You were John Smith, you helped her four years ago that night in Tanabata, you sat in front of her in class one year ago, and you gave her the idea for the SOS Brigade. To Haruhi Suzumiya, you are the most important person to her; perhaps due to the connection you made with her in the past, you were already familiar to her. It also goes without saying that you constantly oppose her plans and ideas for the Brigade and the future in general. While this may be common with people outside of the SOS Brigade, it is your opinion that counts the most, it is your opinion that she respects despite all outward appearances to the contrary, and it is you that she does not want to disappoint."

My brain was reeling from this overly long, but plain English, explanation from Nagato. So, according to her, Haruhi listens only to me, and allows me the opportunity to object every now and then.

"Correct." Nagato confirmed my suspicions. "Your influence upon Haruhi Suzumiya has created stabilisation within her."

Now, where have I heard those familiar terms before? Ah yes, none other than mystery boy, Koizumi. Thanks to this new relaxed Haruhi, there are less Closed Spaces. Perhaps even those time quakes had stopped, and random data explosions, not to mention portals to new parallel universes…

However, the main question still remains unanswered.

"Why?"

Nagato was quiet for ten full seconds. "I… do not know the reason. There are many constants and variables at play here. However it is out of my abilities, and even that of the Data Integrated Thought Entity, to predict her actions. Therefore, it is impossible to accurately define why you should be able to affect her."

Makes sense I guess, Nagato couldn't tell what the inscrutable Haruhi was thinking. I felt a large amount of air expelled from me in the form of a sigh, and I hung my head low.

I already knew the reason.

Thanking Nagato, who went back into the hospital without asking any more, I myself stayed out here, keeping close to the hospital though.

So, this is definitely the sign that I was worried about, the one that ties all the loose ends together to make the final tatami mat for my otherwise occupied mind.

All thanks to that Bastard.

**Earlier  
In the van**

I was sitting there, still shocked.

"Excuse me, but why in the name of sanity would I want to join up with you?! You kidnapped Asahina-san –"

"Borrowed, we just borrowed her." The Sneering one chuckled menacingly. "You really want to know the reason? Well, first you'll have to –"

"Ah, you're God, that's why." The Nonchalant Lady spoke that whilst casually blowing on her nails, and then looking outside the window to watch the scenery.

Wait a second… Back up here, I'm God? They must be really confusing me with Haruhi this time.

"Grr…" The Bastard glared meanly at his companion, but shook it off. "She's right; you're God, or at least, what used to be God."

What the hell is Haruhi then? I was beginning to sweat.

"She's God too." The Nonchalant Lady interjected.

Once again, my mind began to fray and my calm and collected appearance was edging towards madness.

He went on, trying to ignore the esper girl. "To put it more precisely, both of you are God. The omnipotent being split itself into two halves, and placed them inside both of you; we cannot even begin to calculate how long ago this happened."

Okay, so Haruhi and I are both two halves of God, but what halves?

His vile grin returned. "Order and Chaos. I'm sure you can guess who is who."

Yes, my migraine returned with a vengeance. Clutching my head in despair, I recalled the moment I first met that ponytailed girl a year ago in class, declaring her intentions to the world. I don't know what, but something within me wanted to get to know her, and lo' I started a conversation with her.

The rest, as all bored authors who can't be bothered to look up or create new analogies say, is history.

Haruhi was the chaos, bringing about the birth of espers, the introduction of time travel, and grabbing the attention of the Data Sentient Entity, as well as reintroduce sliding to Tsuruya-san.

I was supposedly the Order, striving to keep things under control when they, often, went belly up.

"Okay, be that as it may, why would I join you? You haven't convinced me at all."

He replied quickly. "As you already know, Haruhi Suzumiya is dying; Chaos will be forever removed from the world, and the universe. We need you to maintain the Order, the status-quo, before all of these events started."

You mean, back to how it was before I met her? How can I do that?

"Why, your power of course." The Nonchalant Lady leaned forwards, interested in our conversation finally. "Did you really think that you are just a human? God knows everything, and can do anything. Making yourself seem human would have been an easy job."

"Power?" I felt within myself, but only found my usual state of apathy, my headache and the sore finger I got from being dragged into the van.

"It's not like that of the espers…" The Bastard laughed at my inner thoughts. "It's much more; it's not technological like my time travel, nor is it data or quantum related. I can't describe it for you, only you can determine what it is, or how to use it."

Great, fat lot of use you are…

He merely smiled back at me. "You'll have to figure it out soon." He moved closer to me, so close that his breath was felt on my skin. "We have to destroy the Earth first with Haruhi Suzumiya's death. You have to be the one to bring it back, thus restoring the Order."

Riiight… I'm getting a little freaked at the way you seem to be enjoying me squirm. So, Haruhi blows up the Earth, and I have to reconstruct it the same way again. I'd better get my atlas out then.

"There'll be no need for that." The woman was looking at my school shoes, particularly the laces. "Just wish for it, or whatever it is you have to do, and it'll be done properly."

But, won't the Data Sentient Entity and its enemy be after me this time?

"Order does not create these so-called 'data-explosions' or 'quantum manifestations', only Chaos can do that."

Okay, this was getting serious now; this is the 'overlord hand', the person guiding the RIP Cartel. No, not the Bastard, but he's talking about quantum stuff twice now, something that is shared with the enemy of the Data Sentient Entity.

"Ah, of course, you want to meet them right?" The Nonchalant Lady didn't quite grasp my fear. "Well, when you come to see us in a week, we'll introduce you to them."

"Them?" I had to ask.

"Yes, the 'Human Compiler and Interpreter' is the link to the Macrospatial Quantum Cosmic Existence. We're not forgetting the representative of the sliding contingent."

This is way beyond me… I don't think I can take any more of this information.

"So, what happens if I don't do as you say, and Haruhi somehow survives?"

The Sneering Bastard was growing angrier. "Of course, that won't happen, but the world will remain like this. A world of Espers fighting the heavenly Celestials, time travellers changing history at their own whim, beings made of data altering variables for their own satisfaction, and other universes open for human exploitation."

Okay, now you've gone too far. I know we may have done some of those things, but it was to save us all. In no way did we do them just to have fun.

"Oh really? Your leader would have thought of it as fun, which is why she is so dangerous to us all. One day there might be an event that none of you can stop, and when that happens you'll all perish in a futile attempt to stop it." He grinned widely, showing his perfect teeth. "Then again, I don't know. Since she fell ill, the script has been shattered beyond repair, and I love it." He looked gleeful now, but it didn't suit his face because of the manic expression he bore. "For once in my life, the future is unknown, even I cannot tell how all this will end, and I've never felt happier." He closed his eyes, savouring this odd moment for himself.

However, those precise words sent needles through my skin. "You're trying to tell me this wasn't supposed to happen?"

His sneer grew mirthful. "Perhaps…"

Asahina-san shouldn't know about this, it'll hurt her too much. I not even sure if Asahina-san (Big) already knew of this turn of events.

"Fine, let's say I believe all this stuff you're telling me, how is any of this related to my joining your group?" I didn't want to say the name of it as it left a bad taste on my tongue.

This time, the Bastard's eyebrows rose and, much like Koizumi, he talked to me as if I was a child.

"You still don't get it?" He returned to his cruel self quickly. "Perhaps you lost some of your intelligence too, given your current state." He sharpened his gaze. "Letting Haruhi Suzumiya die, is our goal. That of your group, the SOS Brigade…" He laughed the name off. "Their goal is to keep her alive."

So, there were only two choices in this matter.

Kill Haruhi.

Cure Haruhi.

Both of them held more significance than just her life, it involved that of the Earth, and the Universe.

The van skidded to a standstill. The driver spoke up. "We've reached a blockade, they have us pinned."

The Bastard sat back in his seat, pleased with himself. "It's okay, we're done here."

I waited for the door to open with trepidation.

**Present Day**

I felt a breeze coming in from the south, so I returned inside the hospital. The Sneering Bastard made it clear in his last statement.

Will you let the world die, or will you save it?

To bring things back to normal, the world has to die, but if it is saved, more disasters might befall us.

I am now officially stuck between the proverbial rock and hard place.

---  
**Author's Notes**

Hum, well, there you go, my theory about who Kyon really is has been finally revealed. Obviously, this will have a great bearing on the story.

Writing Nagato is really fun, her advanced linguistic skills are difficult to portray accurately at full detail, but it's a great challenge as a writer to do. Kyon's eloquent speech is also special to write.

- J


	7. Opening Space

**The Death of Haruhi Suzumiya**

**Opening Space**

**Chapter 7**

**10 days ago  
North High  
10:03am**

Why am I at school?

Ah yes, trying to keep up a natural mood, to not let anything affect me.

Yeah right…

"Yo, I heard Suzumiya's in the hospital!"

Taniguchi seemed surprised at this.

"You do anything to her?"

I think I must've glared at him or something, he stopped teasing me suddenly.

"She became infected with some unknown disease." I quoted word for word what Koizumi told me, though it was most likely fact since it acted unlike most viruses.

"Wow, way to go Haruhi…" He was smiling a little at this.

"What the hell's wrong with you?!" Hmm, I seem to be grabbing him by his collar, rather tightly also.

"Hey man, what's the deal here?!" He wasn't happy with his predicament.

"Haruhi's dying, and all you can say is 'Wow'?" I clenched my fist more. "What kind of person are you?!"

Koizumi told me the news when I arrived at school. The hospital confirmed that the black substance was moving throughout her body and that if it wasn't stopped she would inevitably die.

I was mad, huffing and puffing. Taniguchi was sweating profusely.

"Ch-chill! I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make fun…!" I lowered my hand, only now seeing the rest of the class staring at me. "I didn't know it was so serious mate…"

Fine, I allowed that. Letting him go, I slumped back in my seat and tried to control my rage, my inability to change things, no matter how much I wished for them.

Taniguchi readjusted his shirt collar and flew away, not wanting to be near me. The class began in silence as the teacher came in for the next lesson.

**Later  
Lunchtime**

"I heard you caused a small scene." Koizumi's mirthful expression didn't brighten mine whatsoever.

"Yeah, so?" I pulled apart my chopsticks and opened my bento.

"It would be better for you to remain collected during these difficult times."

I quickly got tired of his 'holier than thou' approach to making me feel better. "How else am I supposed to act? Haruhi is dying. Now I don't know what you think of the relationship between her and me, but there's one thing I know for a fact." I put down my utensils and looked up into his eyes. "Despite everything we've been through, she's my friend, there's no way I can be ignorant about what she's going through!"

Koizumi head tilted back from my outburst. "I assure you, that's not what -"

"Okay then." I took one gulp of my rice and stood up to face him. "Some of your colleagues see Haruhi as God, right?" He nodded back. "So, what do they think will happen if she dies?"

Koizumi was momentarily stumped. "There have been many theories brought forward… However none of us can make a real judgement call on the matter."

"You work for them also…" This time my anger was leaking out in my words. "You were sent to stay close to Haruhi to keep her normal." Again, another nod. "So, what is Haruhi to you? Is she God? Is she your client, with you being her bodyguard or psychologist? Is she even your friend? Do you even care at all for her, beyond trying to keep her 'stable'?"

This was the first time I'd ever seen the smiling esper boy completely lost for words. His mouth was moving, though his words were not forthcoming, and he was incessantly changing his visual expressions, shifting from one extreme to the other.

I left the poor boy like that, it didn't make for a comfortable meal to have to sit there and watch him.

**SOS Brigade Clubroom  
5 minutes later**

Sitting in the quiet room I begin to savour my homemade bento in peace. Glancing at the corner by the window, Nagato was still sitting there, her lips moving fast.

Loving every second of peace, with the, if somewhat distracted, company of the quiet Nagato, I ate.

**9 days ago  
North High  
3:45pm**

"Umm…"

I looked up from my foot locker, having forgotten that we don't meet up at the clubroom any more. Putting on my last outdoor shoe I smiled.

"Hi Asahina-san."

Her returning shy version was thin. "Did you hear the news? About Suzumiya-san?"

What, you mean there's been a development?

"N-Not quite… I'll show you in person."

She walked with me and we went the relatively short distance to the hospital by foot. Arriving outside the hospital, I was astounded at the number of people standing outside the main entrance. Most seemed to be carrying note pads or voice recorders. There was even a TV news crew somewhere in the background, their van with the huge antenna unmistakable.

However, Mori-san and Arakawa-san weren't having any of it, and prevented all of them from going inside. Any questions fired at them they deftly ignored and refused to reply.

"Can you confirm that the esteemed Dr Tanizaki is here?"  
"Is it true that the victim inside is a carrier of a new super virus?"  
"What is the relationship of this person to your hospital? Why the special care"

Mori-san bared her fangs and they all stepped back once, allowing Asahina-san and I inside. Resuming her kind face, she welcomed us in.

"Please, go inside; forget about what is happening here."

Arakawa-san bowed lightly and held the door open for us as we walked in.

Surprisingly, it was busy in the main reception area; however it was filled with people in suits and white lab coats.

"What's going on here?" I mumbled to myself.

A few of the men looked at me curiously but then went back to their conversations. I noticed that some of them had nametags with long complicated names on them.

"Who are these people Asahina-san?"

She shuffled her feet nervously, though I wasn't sure why. "They're doctors from around the world. Each one is an expert in their own field. Koizumi-kun and his friends have brought every one of them here to see Haruhi."

Huh... That sounds like fun. I can imagine that her parents aren't too happy at this. She's probably being treated as a lab rat right now...

"No, that's not true!" She yelped at her own declaration. "They're not allowed to experiment on her, other than withdraw the usual amount of blood that is needed."

"Have any of them figured out any idea as to what happened to her, and if it could be cured?"

Asahina-san looked nervously past the people, approximately at where Haruhi's room was.

"N-No... Her blood has been tested countless times, but it seems that nothing can be done to stop it."

A sudden rumbling came from the reception area as one of the doctors, an elderly Western gentleman wearing bifocals, stumbled out of the laboratory which was in a ward away from Haruhi. Other younger and fellow doctors helped him to a chair as he sat down, his hands shaking constantly. Upon being asked how he was, he shouted at them to leave him alone.

Intrigued as always, I raised my finger subtly at him. "Who's that then?"

"Umm..." She looked down a small list she scanned from the wall. "Dr John Smith, from England."

I snorted rather loudly, of all names, it had to be that one. I started walking towards him as Asahina-san began umm-ing and err-ing.

"Mind if I sit here?" I pointed out the seat opposite him while I tried my best to speak English, but it couldn't hide my thick accent.

"No, of course no-" He stopped upon seeing I wasn't one of the doctors. He switched to Japanese, although a little broken, he was able to communicate with me. "You are a friend of Haruhi?"

I didn't flinch at the way he addressed her, the Japanese people are well aware that Westerners don't fully understand the polite way of speaking to or about strangers. Calling her by her first name without the suffix was perfectly acceptable to me, and for some reason it made me relax more, as if he were her friend too in some convoluted way.

"Yes." I nodded once. "I tried to help her." I didn't speak fast, keeping to the basic words only.

"That's good." He was sweating badly now. "She's very sick. There was nothing you could do."

That last phrase sounded rehearsed well, perhaps he spoken it to Japanese families for a loved one that was about to pass away.

"What doctor are you?" I made hand motions here trying to get my point across. "Chemistry? Brain surgeon?"

He smiled at my English words for these subjects. "You speak well." He dabbed at his forehead, smearing away the droplets of sweat. "I work in Physics."

"Physics?" I blurted that out, surprised that such a discipline was here. I doubted highly that this was a mere coincidence, given the origin of the virus.

"Why are you so...?" I didn't know how to say stressed, so I settled for an immediate word I knew he'd understand. "... angry?"

He shook his head. "I'm not angry or stressed." Looks like he understood my meaning. "I'm afraid."

"Afraid?" I jerked my head past the whispering doctors, who were trying to listen in on our conversation, but Mori-san had come in keeping them away from us. "Of the doctors?"

"No, of Haruhi." He coughed once. "Her body is dying... She is not... infected..." He tried to explain the word but I had heard it many times before now so I nodded quickly. "...with a normal virus."

I agreed with him. "Yes, it came from... somewhere else."

I didn't even want to begin explaining what, where, why or how it all happened, so I kept it vague and simple enough for him to know that there was more to the story than he heard.

He saw the bait and thankfully didn't press further; presumably whatever he saw was enough of a shock to his psyche as it is.

"Yes, I thought so..." He moved closer to me and I did the same, half-wondering what secret he was going unveil for me. "She is filling up with dark matter and dark energy."

The last two words were difficult for me to understand, but after an analogy with colours and matter, I figured out the Japanese equivalent.

And I started shivering.

He closed his eyes to calm his palpitating heart. I wasn't well versed with the whole concept of dark matter and dark energy, but three things I knew as a fact was it made up something like 90 percent of the universe, it was impossible to sample or gather, and finally, it was destroying the normal matter in the universe. If this kind of material was inside Haruhi, it really did seem like a lost cause. Quite how the man discovered that what we were dealing with was besides the question.

He sat up and looked at me, he seemed to calm down and breathe normally. "Sorry, what was your name?"

I opened my mouth to say it, only to realise that he'd never understand it. A moment passed as I thought of giving my nickname, but it would be far too complicated to explain how I got it, so I settled for the only other one I could think of.

"John Smith."

His eyes widened, and they crinkled at the edges, his body shaking. For a second or two I thought he was having a heart attack or convulsion, only to realise he was laughing.

"Yes, yes, of course you're 'John Smith'." He nudged me hard in my ribs. "Most common name in the Western world, perfect for hiding who you are."

I laughed back nervously, if only he knew how accurate that was...

"I must go now and speak to the people here." He turned serious once more. "I can only give advice, there's nothing more I can do." He held out his hand and I accepted it, shaking briefly. "Nice to meet you John Smith." He smiled once and I mimicked him. He left into the deeper areas of the hospital accompanied by more staff.

Asahina-san came up to me and sat next to me. "Umm, what did he say to you?"

Saying the truth would only hurt her more, so I made a white lie. "He said that Haruhi's really ill, and it would be difficult to treat her." I left the origins of the virus out, she probably knows a lot more about it in the future, but it still would not be useful to her now.

"Ahh, I see..." Asahina-san looked down. "I'm worried about Suzumiya-san, it just doesn't seem fair to her..."

Oh yes, I forgot to mention, we didn't tell Asahina-san that Haruhi was going to die, that would definitely have been too much for her. We're still going to keep it from her until it was obvious.

"I know... I just don't understand why it happened now and what the reason was for it..."

It's true; I still don't understand the reason for the infection. Life was moving on as normal, and we were all relatively happy. Why now?

Checking the time on my watch, I realised that it was time for me to get back home.

"I'd better go now. See you tomorrow Asahina-san."

"O-Okay..." She got up too and walked ahead a bit. "Bye." With that she left the building.

Picking up my bag, I wandered off towards the front door, only to have Mori-san come towards me.

"Things are becoming direr by the day. We as the Organisation do not know how things will end up."

It was the first time she had been so open with me, and made me more curious. "What do you mean?"

She gave me a sad smile. "You will find out tomorrow."

And so, my day ended like that.

**8 days ago  
3:30pm**

I checked my note to be sure I was at the right place; it was left in my shoe locker by Koizumi.

He walked up to me from across the street, his gait serious.

"There's a problem that I believe you need to see." He gestured to the yellow taxi behind him. "Shall we?"

I wordlessly went inside the car. As always it was the multi-skilled Arakawa-san behind the wheel. He gave me a wink when I looked in his rear-view mirror.

The stony silence continued for thirty minutes, as I noticed the suburbs approaching. "Okay, I give up, what's the problem exactly?"

"You'll see when we arrive." His face was giving nothing away, but a single bead of sweat was trailing down his cheek.

**Ten minutes later**

We arrived in a fairly peaceful neighbourhood, a child was playing with her dog, and the mother saw us, became curious, but shrugged. Must be nice to feel so unworried about strangers coming into your area.

Arakawa-san stopped the car, parking neatly, and Koizumi left, prompting me to follow.

Just as I expected, we were walking somewhere conspicuous, yet no one would notice us leaving this plane.

"I would like you to join me in Closed Space for a brief time, in order to explain the magnitude of the situation."

Do I have a choice in the matter?

His smile rose slightly, but in a bitter way. "Not really, however this will probably be the last time I demand to show you something."

Well, when you say it to me so honestly, how can I refuse such a kind offer?

Koizumi reached out with his hand in mid air, and felt the molecules to find the opening to the Sealed Reality. Moving his fingers, he unlocked the opening and we were both taken in.

**Closed Space**

Yep, this was it alright, the sky has been replaced with a bland grey barrier, removing any whim I had that we were still in the real world.

However one thing seemed a bit off.

"Isn't it bigger than before?"

"Correct, and if you will, please look over there."

His extended finger pointed behind us to show the buildings we were near to. I only noted the blue glow when it was too late.

"Shit!" I stepped back in case it would trample us, but it seemed only interested in pulverising the residential block.

Koizumi meanwhile was just standing there, not moving a muscle, he seemed oddly deflated.

"Hey, Koizumi, aren't you going to stop it?"

"I think you need to adjust your vision slightly, please look further than where we are."

Indeed, we were on the same height as the school, only on the other side of town, so we could see the land in front.

The town was destroyed.

There were also at least three dozen Celestials.

"Wh-what the hell is going on here?"

Yes, I was shocked.

"The Celestials have been destroying the town building by building, not stopping until everything has been ruined. Each time ten buildings have fallen, another Celestial has appeared, and they have grown exponentially since then. Also whenever another Celestial appears the Closed Space increases in diameter by double the amount."

"S-So why aren't you stopping them?" I was still wary of the one behind us.

"Do you recall the previous occasion we entering Closed Space, in that alternate universe?"

How could I? That was when everything changed for the worse.

"My powers were somewhat trying to get to work efficiently, and we defeated the first enemy after some time." I nodded again. "This time, my powers have vanished. The sole ability that I and my colleagues possess is that of entering and leaving the Closed Space."

So, this was what Mori-san meant.

'Things are becoming direr by the day. We as the Organisation do not know how things will end up.'

I never thought that this could happen though. "Aren't we in danger then?"

Koizumi looked back briefly. "Ah, no, the Celestials seem unbothered with our presence; in fact they steer clear of us. Perhaps they do not see us as a threat, or maybe they only wish to level the houses around them."

"Not that!" I did really mean something else, but it was comforting to think that a big blue Celestial foot wouldn't land on my head without me knowing. "I mean, the world, didn't you say it would get bad the bigger it gets?"

"Ah yes, that..." Here Koizumi seemed lost. "By our estimates, at the rate of expansion, the entire surface of the world will be covered up in eight days approximately." He paused here. "As with our previous assumptions, the moment Suzumiya-san wished for espers to appear on this planet, we knew that we could enter Closed Space, and that we could stop them. However, we also learned that if the Space grows too much, the world is in danger of becoming like this." He sighed. "Sadly, we have lost all abilities to hold back the Celestials, no more fireballs nor our Red Stance remain."

So, now I know that the world is ending, it is a fact from this moment on. Haruhi is dying, leaving the world without the Chaos God, and thus bringing it to collapse. I felt a small tingle as smaller red figures came into view.

"Ah, some of my colleagues have come."

Amongst the people around us, some were on buildings, others coming out from behind alleyways, even materialising on the road, there were different kinds of people. Different races, a wide variety of religions given some of the turbans and clothing I saw, extremities of ages, I saw a man with a cane and a child no older than my cute sister, and even different body types, not all were slim and toned like Koizumi. Mori-san was nearby and winked at me briefly.

"Why are they here?" They were looking at me in interest, possibly, again, due to my connection with Haruhi, so I got anxious at my presence here.

"As I wished to show you the destruction of Closed Space the first time I brought you here, now I would like you to experience the expansion of Closed Space."

The Celestial behind us finally crushed the block behind us, and that when things changed. It split into two, from arm to arm and leg to leg, like forming a paper chain of people, and both of them stepped away from each other as if performing the beginning of an old fashioned pistol duel, from being back to back that is.

"That was the tenth building by this Celestial." Koizumi interjected unnecessarily.

The grey sky began to crack at the seams, and it spread down to the Earth, only for 'something' I guess the air we breathe, to flow out of the opening into the neighbouring area, filling it up like a thick syrup pouring through the tiny gap in the middle of an hourglass. Once enough of it had fled through the gap, the thin wall shattered and a whole new region was open to the Closed Space.

"This is all I can show you for now; there is little benefit in staying." Already some of the Organisation had left, presumably to try to live their lives as normal. "We will have to leave as we entered. Please shut your eyes."

Not really wanting to stay here much longer, I did so and felt my feet leave the ground for half a second before arriving back in a noisy world.

"That was all I wished for you to see."

Koizumi walked off back to the taxi, I didn't see Arakawa-san in the Closed Space, so I presumed that he stayed out here for us. We went inside and, without giving any orders, Arakawa-san drove us away.

For once, I felt a little pity for Koizumi. Sure be may be a pandering, sly, secretive, enigmatic, and thoroughly annoying git, but he was still someone who supported me on the rare event I needed help. Now he had little to characterise himself from ordinary humans, aside from his unique ability to open Closed Space, there was little reason in doing so when all the buildings inside were broken. It couldn't even be a safe haven if our own world started a nuclear war, since those Celestials were smashing all the shelter there. It seemed that he was at a loss of what to do now.

"Koizumi..." I really didn't want to do this, he had deserved my anger that time, and his superiority complex gets on my nerves. However, like the wild Haruhi, quiet Nagato, energetic Tsuruya-san and adorable Asahina-san, he was still a friend of mine. "I'm sorry... About everything, about this thing and what I said last -"

He held up his hand, stopping my words. "I understand your concern, and your need to apologise, however the former is not your fault, nor is it mine. We could not change anything. The latter however, is my fault entirely."

Wow, he actually took the blame for once?

"Yes, though I was sent to North High on a mission to get to know and stabilise Suzumiya-san, I only achieved one of the two tasks. Stabilising her came only because of your influence there. Getting to know her was not something I did successfully." He looked out the car window at the passing trees. "I neglected my duty there, feeling that by getting in the way of you and Suzumiya-san I would damage her stabilisation. However I realise now that having friends was what calmed her down. Though I was promoted to vice-chief of the SOS Brigade, I had done nothing to deserve that title except agree with her every wish and desire. A true friend would sometimes disagree and question what the other person was doing. In this way they would learn more about themselves and that some things are wrong to do. What I was doing was merely reinforcing her desires to commit to stranger and crazier activities. It is true what you said, I am not her friend, nor do I believe that she thinks I am her friend. Suzumiya-san saw through my mask the moment she laid eyes on me. Only by tying me to the SOS Brigade with that title has she given me any indication that, despite all this, she wishes me to stay close to her."

I sat there in silence, what could I say after such a candid display from the mysterious Koizumi?

He smiled, but it no longer bore the marks of his standard ignorant or plain facade that he showed to all of us. "Loneliness can affect all of us. Suzumiya-san, at the heightened point of hers, four years ago, vowed to make the world an interesting place for her to live in. Already shunned by her friends in her old school, she wrote the symbol in the grass, with your help, and the intergalactic message 'I am here' was transmitted in an instant across the universe. At the moment the final drop of chalkwas laid, her powers manifested; a vast data explosion, the largest time quake ever, the birth of the espers, and the unlocking of sliding portals. Though she didn't, and still doesn't, realise it, her life grew easier and more positive after that, and once she entered high school, her mood lifted upon your arrival." He looked at me kindly, a freaky expression on him. "I dare say that had you not been there at that time, Suzumiya-san may no longer be with us, espers would not exist, time travellers would never come here, the sliding portals would forever remain shut, and aliens would never be interested in our small planet."

Okay, I understand your point about the espers, time travellers, sliding portals and aliens, but what do you mean about Haruhi not being with us?

Koizumi lowered his voice, he was growing more tired by the moment, and he spoke. "From what little we could gather, and from my own assumptions, Suzumiya-san was adamant she could write the message. However, you were there to write over half of it, and Suzumiya-san has written the rest. Somehow, your help finalised the image and made it valid. We surmised that alone, her own drawing would not have made any effect. Had she not written the symbol correctly, had she not given herself another reason to continue her quest for acceptance, Suzumiya-san would have taken her own life."

"What?!" I yelled, my horror too much to hold back. Arakawa-san didn't flinch, however Koizumi jerked back. "Are you okay?" I had to ask, he was getting too out of character for me.

"Yes and no, this ordeal regarding the Closed Spaces has taken a lot out of me, my reason for being around Suzumiya-san is slowly being erased, and these pent up emotions regarding my relationship with her are radically affecting my mental stability." He cleared his throat. "To answer your earlier exclamation, this was the last chance for Suzumiya-san to prove herself, to acknowledge her own existence. If she failed in this task, which she considered both simple but necessary at the time, she would have surely committed suicide that night."

While Koizumi was talking, I realised that he might be partly true, though from what I remember of her, she was still hyperactive. The only time Haruhi talked to me about her past was the incident of when she went to a baseball game, and that she was only one out of 50,000 people there, that it was only a tiny percentage of the whole country, and then even smaller on a global scale. Haruhi had, in those scant seconds of thinking, devalued herself to be one insignificant little girl in a world full of people, and that must've scared her to death.

It was probably after that game that she started doing crazy things at her own school, she wanted to be more than just a girl, she wanted to be famous, she wanted to be known outside of her own school.

However, that all failed, I never heard of her before, not even Taniguchi told me about her when we younger, so no one really spoke about her outside of the school environment. Her efforts must've gotten more desperate until she finally got her hands on the perfect symbol to write. If she couldn't write it, she would have definitely done something drastic, perhaps the last way she could get the attention she needed.

However, since Tanabata, she did just that, and three groups were instantly attracted to her, and also the three lesser well-meaning groups were after her.

At North High, she had spread her influence far and wide, and everyone knew about her, even beyond the low walls of the school. Perhaps the hill gave her a vantage point to shout her message across the town.

She had a purpose for life.

Had Haruhi killed herself, I'd've never met Koizumi, Nagato, Asahina-san, nor would I have met that Sneering Bastard, the Nonchalant Lady, Asakura Ryouko, Kimidori Emiri-san and maybe even Tsuruya-san.

However, I'm sadder at the fact that I'd never have met Haruhi herself, and bring so much excitement into my life.

That sole fact made me solemn for the rest of the journey.

**---  
Author's Notes**

A sadder and more serious note to end on, but again, these are my own theories on what I think could have happened in the series had it all gone wrong before it began. These all will tie together in the finale though, so for now just accept them and don't flame me to hell and back.

I feel that the Koizumi section might breach the boundaries of OOCness, given his stoic posture in the series. Seeing him express emotion aside from amusement and seriousness is jarring, especially for me who has to write it convincingly. Kyon also is difficult to write, as he rarely gets this emotional, with outbursts etc. I hope I did a good job portraying him in this situation.

Still, a bit more to go until the end, I'd say we're about half way at the moment through the story, so there's still plenty more plot to come. Hope you had fun reading!

- J


	8. Folding Realities

**The Death of Haruhi Suzumiya**

**Folding Realities**

**Chapter 8**

**7 days ago  
North High  
9:33am**

So, here I am again, school. Lessons these days are boring me to tears, the beginning of the school year is always filled with testing our previously taught knowledge before applying it to the greater education that we're bound to learn fairly soon.

I couldn't care less about it right now though, they were boring me to bits and I really didn't even want to bother with the whole lot of it.

Koizumi has been keeping his distance from me lately, I can only speculate as to why, maybe he thinks I hate him, perhaps he's embarrassed at his emotional outbreak, or he could even be preparing his final days on Earth, if he truly believes the world will end in a week.

Asahina-san has been the same, sad about Haruhi and generally being kind to me. I think she's a bit lonely without Tsuruya-san nearby, the latter having been off-world sliding through others trying to find a cure.

Nagato is Nagato, always trying to access the Data Sentient Entity, and I haven't spoken to her since the hospital, she needs all the time she can get. She has even less time to live than Haruhi, what with her internal battery running out.

Taniguchi is steering clear of me, rightly so as I'm still mad at him. Kunikida is watching me carefully, but not wanting to place himself closer for fear of me getting riled up again.

The RIP Cartel has been silent since my 'kidnapping', I haven't seen any sinister green van nearby, nor have they been skulking around me or any of the others.

Me? I'm the same, not really paying attention in class, not really focusing on any of my chores, in other words, you might say that I'm pretty lifeless at the moment.

In fact, why the hell am I here?

**10:13am  
Home**

I'm not sure how I'm going to explain this to my parents, but there's no way I'm going to just sit at school and waste the day away learning. Speaking to the school nurse and citing reasons veering on the psychological impact, she sympathised and said she would speak with the teachers about this. She gave me an official slip to leave school for as long as I need to get over this situation.

By now, the school secretary would've called my parents, one of whom would probably call me to see - ah, there's the phone.

Yes mum, I'm fine... Because of Haruhi's illness... No I'm not going to kill myself... See you later.

Simpler than I thought, maybe I'll take a nap now. I'm too stressed.

**One hour later**

My groggy fingers were reaching for the annoyingly bleating ring tone.

"Hello?"

"I am Koizumi."

Oh boy... "I'm sorry, but I can't go to school for now, this is affecting me too much..."

"Ah, I thought so, that's perfectly okay, I understand. My own reason for being here is self-punishment because of the injustice I have done to Suzumiya-san. I would prefer to indulge these harrowing emotions than seek atonement."

Gees, talk about martyr hood... "Stop being so melodramatic, Koizumi. Next time you get a chance with Haruhi, just try to be her friend instead of observing her as a lab rat."

"I suppose you are right. If things do turn out well, I will do everything in my power to be a true friend to her."

"Good..." I decided to change the topic for both our sakes. "I'm not sure if I'm going to come in the next few days either..."

"That is to be expected. I will see you in school in the future. Oh, Asahina-san did wish for me to leave you a message, 'Please get well soon, don't be too sad'. Nagato somehow found out and also asked me to inform you, 'Focus not on current events due to negative effects on emotional levels. Attempt an alternate path on thinking to distract your mind and keep you occupied'. I trust I don't need to explain what she said to you, I have to go back to my lessons now. Goodbye."

Saying our farewells, we hung up.

Now that I was up and about, there wasn't much for me to do, so I decided to go for a walk.

**Ten minutes later  
Outside**

I wasn't worried about the RIP Cartel coming for me, they made a promise from all of them that they would leave me be until that date at 'that' place.

I held onto the form that the school nurse gave me, in case I had a police officer chase me back into school. Perhaps Koizumi's already informed the Organisation to my whereabouts and to be there to smooth things over with them in advance, it wouldn't surprise me in the least.

It was pleasant to be out before midday, but a little surreal too, the streets were quiet as most of the workers were already earning their wage and the young ones were all in school. The only people out were the old people, either going to their local supermarket or to their friends for a talk, or the other people we don't really see much, the housewife doing her rounds, the rare single mother with her baby in a pushchair, the unemployed people moving from shop to shop trying to get a job, and the few homeless people, begging for money or any scraps they can get.

I took Nagato's advice and thought of the only other topic on my mind. I had to choose, I have been procrastinating over this issue long enough.

I need to pick either destroying the world, or saving it.

Great, this makes me sound like some huge intergalactic cosmic being who likes to eat planets... I'm just a human, an ordinary school boy...

Let's see... Before I met Haruhi, I always wanted to meet espers, time travellers and aliens, only to find myself in a quandary. I'd always been logical in my past, discovering the sad truth about Santa well before my time, but I sincerely believed that they existed despite my logic saying to the contrary, perhaps from too many comics.

Then one day it all changed, I promised myself to break away from the untold misery I would find when I figured out the truth.

Yes it all changed back then. Back during the festival…

Hang on, festival? I seem to recall Sasaki, one of my childhood friends, talking about it as if it were a miracle or something… That hot summer's night…

Nausea attacked me suddenly, and bile reacted violently, erupting slightly into the back of my throat. I managed to hold it back though, but only just.

Oh God…

Hmm, shouldn't that now be 'Oh Me' or 'Oh Haruhi'? Bah, who cares?

Yes, the day, or more precisely, the stuffy night in which I rejected the ideas of espers, time travellers, and aliens was a particular date I had already experienced over four times.

Four years ago, during Tanabata.

I found a bench and sat down. My head was swimming in all these annoying patterns and riddles.

So, I had discounted the existence of all these things, and yet, that precise moment Haruhi (and the current me) completed the message, signalling to the Earth, the future, and the universe of her existence. It's amazing how selective memory works, you only remember the bad things in life, discounting all those good things, such as this insignificant little choice, which turned out to be fairly major.

The moment I (as Order) denied them, Haruhi (as Chaos) created them.

My vision cleared fast.

Everything was making sense to me now.

Every time that I wanted something, or didn't want something, Haruhi would do the opposite. We were truly a balancing act.

Did Haruhi back then even want to meet those kinds of people? I'm betting that she didn't, and that it was my influence, my thrown away wish, that made her want these exact same things.

Or maybe this theory is wrong. Maybe it was something different? Perhaps Haruhi's powers awakened because she and I both, for the first time in our lives, held directly contrasting viewpoints. Order and Chaos never agree on one topic, but it could be that I said no to them, and she said yes. You can't get clearer than that, there is no shade of grey in those statements, only black and white.

However, I'm getting sidetracked here, this isn't important right now. Why should the world stay the same? Let's see, the world is constantly at risk from Haruhi's imagination and unconscious wishes. I'm suffering from extreme stress at keeping her under wraps; I'm surprised I haven't got a stomach ulcer yet.

However, I'm having some fun I suppose. My life before North High was something I could barely remember; each day was monotonous and dull. There was little to entertain me, especially after I chose to abandon my hopes of ever meeting those three special types of people.

But why should I let the world as it is? Bad things could happen some time in the future. The Bastard was right; Haruhi could accidentally create something so powerful we would never be able to defeat it. Technically, she already did, but then it moved inside her rather than to elsewhere in our world. If something like that frog got out, or something even worse than that... I shudder to think of the damage they would cause.

Closed Space - or should it be called Expanding Space now I wonder? - showcases Haruhi's frustrations over her daily life, but were she to get into real trouble, I doubt that Koizumi and co would be able to handle it. The fact that now they have lost all their power is proof that they relied a little too much on their superhuman abilities, though how it makes them so different in reality still eludes me, greater intelligence maybe?

Mori-san and Arakawa-san seem skilled in many unrelated fields, and Koizumi regularly converses with me in the highly philosophical and psychological way that is characteristically his alone. He and Nagato even share the same thoughts and ideas, which unnerves me since the latter possesses limitless knowledge.

Nagato has been in trouble more than once, she fought off Asakura Ryouko bare hand against bare blade, twice; altered Nakagawa's DNA to prevent him from seeing the Data Sentient Entity, thereby making him fall out of love with her; manipulated the data of the universe once using Haruhi's own power, leaving me just one chance to revert everything; and nearly collapsed under influence from the Macrospatial Quantum Cosmic Existence during the snow mountain event.

Now, she has no powers due to the IceBarrier, her boss no longer responds, and she has scant days remaining in her four year life. I'm sure with all her incantations she could fight off some of Haruhi's stronger and held back monsters, but eventually even the combined power of all of the Human Interface Terminals might fall at one powerful foe. What then? I don't even want to think of what the Entity would do to Earth at that point...

Asahina-san... Well, I don't know what her people would do, but it seems that she alone is wholly unprepared for pre-destined events, let alone surprises that occur, like her kidnapping. I can only hope that any and all temporal shifts created by Haruhi could be detected by the time agency. Somehow, I doubt that, seeing as Asahina-san (Big) didn't notice the change set up by Nagato, when only I remembered that parallel world of normal people.

Ah yes, Tsuruya-san, with her magical timer to send her, and us, through to separate worlds just like ours, but slightly different. A world where China ruled Japan, or when America owned it, or even when the Japanese Axis and German Axis were at war with each other for fifty years since winning World War II. She's probably the one who has the most fun from all of the adventures we get into. She took part in the baseball tournament, the treasure hunt, the film, and of course the mystery with Shamisen in the mountains. She has even more using her sliding abilities. Yet, I know she wouldn't abandon us and run away off-world if something terrible did come to destroy us.

Yes, we were all in it, and we'd all fail in the end. But how long would it be, a week away, a month, a year, maybe even ten years? We don't know... I would have fun in the meantime...

Bah, what am I saying? Should I just ignore the threat to the world because I want to enjoy myself? That's so typically human and ultimately naive to even suggest that.

So, I have to destroy the world, and reconstruct it once more. How many times does that make it, twice, thrice, or even the fourth time since the world was remade? The first one is obvious, since the Big Bang, but I don't really believe that Haruhi created it four years ago, nor do I believe that she changed it again less than a year ago, or even that Nagato incident...

Damn, but I don't really want to just say 'Okay, the world's not worth the trouble, let's just stop it completely' and then wait for God to die.

I suddenly came to, and was stunned to believe that I've been walking all this time. My feet must have carried me across three busy roads without injury. I was sure that I didn't remember consciously taking myself this far. I looked up at the familiar building, the hospital.

Since I'm here...

**Inside the hospital  
Room 42**

Haruhi was still linked up to the heart monitors, but her breathing mask wasn't in sight anywhere, which meant that she was doing somewhat better than before. I thanked Mori-san for the water she gave me and sat at the bed-side table.

Seeing her so weak like this just wrenched something painful from inside me, like if I were to take the bullet train facing the wrong direction, a long drained out gasp of air as you feel you are falling, though it makes no sense realistically.

I knew what it meant, the second option.

Sitting here looking at Haruhi, so strong-willed and persistent when she succeeds, but single-minded and stubborn when she fails, I lost all will to just let her die ignominiously like this. She wouldn't let this plague or virus get to her, I know it.

However, I also didn't want us to all die fighting something that could never be killed.

I moved closer after polishing off my drink, leaving the glass on the table, and stared at her exposed arm with pipe feeding vital fluids into her. The black tar shone beneath the skin, a cruel reminder of what she was infected with, and its distinctively non-Earth origin. Even that older John Smith recognised it for what it was, or at least, where it came from.

I held her hand; the warmth of her skin was still pretty high, reflecting her equally fiery demeanour. Her perfect complexion and skin tone were still as they were, just the right level for her. There wasn't a single blemish on her, aside from the new addition, and there wasn't any hard skin on her elbows or her palms, indicating that she took care of her body, or that she was somehow immune to the wears and tears of ordinary people.

I held her hand tighter at these thoughts.

The heart monitor started bleeping louder and faster, and her breathing grew deeper. I sat up trying to figure out if something had gone wrong, but instead I found myself looking at her face, only for her to open her eyes for the first time since her fingers touched the keys.

"K-Kyon?"

She tried to sit up, but found it weird why her body wouldn't respond as fast. I gently held her shoulders to keep her in her bed, it was still too soon for her to move about freely.

"What the hell are you doing?!" She yelled in my ear, with her free hand she started hitting me, fairly painfully, against my nape, perhaps imitating some martial arts movie she saw. "Let me go! I'm not going to go lightly!"

This time, I jumped back. My neck was throbbing from her repeated strikes; damn they were hurting real bad, and her words stung too.

"H-Haruhi..."

I pointed at her arm that I held down, which she was using to hold up the sheets against her chest. Her look was that of puzzlement and fear, as if she was only just looking at a different me for the first time, one she didn't like.

I tried to clear up the gross misunderstanding that her logic and perception chose to sidestep at the worst opportune moment. "You've been sick... You fell -"

I got no further than that.

"Get out!" She was mad, her eyes were blazing with her divine fury, and it was all directed at me. This can't be good.

"But..."

"NOW!" She held up the flowers and vase that was at close reach, and she was going to throw it in five seconds if I knew her calculating mind well enough.

Getting no closer to her, I stayed outside the circular radius I imposed and veered to the door, shutting it fast behind me. Mori-san and Arakawa-san were running toward the room.

"Has Suzumiya-san woken up?" The elder one spoke first. I nodded, barely able to start thinking about the horror that Haruhi was going to put me through.

Mori-san scrutinised me with her dark eyes, and I felt a little naked beneath her stare. She mellowed suddenly and smiled kindly. "I'll go in and speak to her, we need to care for her and ask some questions too. But first we need to calm her down."

Patting my shoulder, she pushed me gently to the direction of the exit, a sign that this wasn't going to happen in one day. Taking her advice, I left the hospital.

**Five minutes later**

Great, so now Haruhi thinks I'm a pervert, molester or even a potential rapist. Great way to get on her good side... I half-wondering if Mori-san went in to prevent her from wishing untold death unto me, given her powers it wouldn't surprise me if a lion jumped out of the bushes to accost me.

The aforementioned bushes startled to rustle, and I faltered for a second, only for a small cat to jump out. It meowed at me, probably hungry for food. Maybe Haruhi is relaxing a little... I shrugged at it, not having anything to give it. Sensing my lack of food, it strolled off, hoping to find its meal elsewhere.

So, what next, hungry wolves or dogs? What else could go wrong?

A blinding light flashed in front of me, causing me to shield them fast. The light widened to produce a whirly silver ring, with a vortex inside flowing to the outer edge.

Hang on, there's something green inside...

I put two and two together to make five, so I leapt back and held my arms out.

Within seconds, they were filled with a laughing bundle. She was quite light, and she seemed to enjoy being held.

"Kyon-kun, you're verys gallant sometimes!" Tsuruya-san was getting too into the moment, even creating a forced blush on her cheeks. "Maybe I should tell Mikuru or Haru-nyan about this?"

"Gah?!" That was going too far. I hastily let her go, and her two dainty feet tapped on the ground, settling her body.

"Oh dear Kyon-kun... You're too jumpy really..." She grabbed my hand. "I've gotta show yous something!"

"W-Wait!"

But it was too late, she pulled me away and I swore that my feet barely touched the pavement at times with the speed she was going at. I couldn't even tell where we were going, until I landed safely.

"Phew, that was a nice stroll..." She lightly removed the single bead of sweat that grew on her forehead. "Sit, sit Kyon-kun!"

What am I, a dog now?

She gave me a sly smile. "Haru-nyan treats you like one, maybe you like playing the role, huh?"

Don't even go there...

She sat next to me, and it was now that I noticed the area. It was the park, and I was sitting on the bench Asahina-san and I shared that first time.

"Mikuru was right, this is a nice spot to think..." Tsuruya-san was still laughing to herself, before snorting and stopping it quickly. "Anyway, I have some megas news for you, and it isn't good."

Great, do tell.

She held out her timer, which was blinking rapidly. "You know I've been going to different Earths for a cure. I couldn't find any, but the problem is that all the realities are locking. I can't get into them any more. Soon, hundreds were being locked each second, and I couldn't stop them."

I pointed at the flashing red light. "So what's this then?"

"That's the last one, it's not locking, nor is it going to in the future." Her expression changed to a somewhat melancholic one. "All those different versions of our planet, gone. I can't access them any more, even with my old knowledge..." She grinned and poked at her temple. "Haru-nyan must be really strong, to affect the universe like this..."

It was strange to see her like this. Though she was at first sad at Haruhi getting sick, she never looked as depressed as now, I could tell she was hiding her sadness. I tried my best to comfort her by putting a hand on her shoulder. She's a lot more tactile than Haruhi; she doesn't mind people casually touching her like this. Our leader on the other hand... Apparently she's the opposite, though she loves making Asahina-san suffer with her cosplay...

The hand wasn't really putting any weight, nor was I squeezing or massaging her shoulder, but Tsuruya-san reacted well, and cheered up remarkably. She beamed at me and brought her hand up to cover mine, sharing the feeling.

"Thanks Kyon-kun, I needed that..." She was restored to her former self and stood up suddenly. "So now, I needs you to come with me to this world!"

"Wha...?" I still hadn't got over her instant change. "Why?"

She grinned again. "This isn't an ordinary parallel world. The only portal remaining takes us to our own world!"

"Huh?" That was impossible. "But how? You mean it's like a teleporter? I don't have a passport!"

She shook her head, tutting whilst doing so. "Nooo, not quite. I've figured out where we'll end up. The timer decoded it fors me. There are only two more trips left in its lifetime, so I know what to do..."

Jerking her hand out, she fired it at the trickling stream opposite our seat, and as expected, the white silver blob expanded to her usual sliding portal. "Off we go!"

"W-Wait... I'm not ready for this!"

Again, her strong grip pulled me into the mercury pool, and I experienced the unsettling effect of being flung throughout space and time and whatever other barriers I passed. It was like being in a zero gravity area, but also being led to a final destination at a mind-boggling speed.

**Unknown Location**

When we landed it was dark outside, cicadas were chirping away, and it was a hot evening. We were beneath three trees, the shade hiding us from view due to the poor light. The portal vanished once more into its container.

I looked around and couldn't see much, there weren't many lights around us, but from what I could tell they were mostly candle based illumination.

"So... Are you going to tell me where I am?" To be honest, I was getting tired of being bossed about again.

"Sorry Kyon-kun..." She did apologise genuinely. "This isn't a parallel world like I said, but it is our world."

I looked around again, and spotted a familiar mountain in the background, the starting point of these sliding adventures. "But... This is our town..."

She nodded again, waiting for me to figure it out. "That is corrects..."

I looked and saw another building that I recalled. "Hey, isn't this your mansion? But it looks different... A bit smaller." My sweat grew faster. "N-No way..."

I looked about me and saw my hometown, completely changed from what it used to be, no high rise buildings from the pale moonlight, nor even any concrete, considering the large about of wood and tiled roofs.

"We're aren't... are we?"

"Bingos!" Tsuruya-san gave me a thumbs up, before leaping up in the air, both airs aloft. "We're in the past!"

"H-How far back?"

"Not far, just over 300 years only..."

"300?! This is madness!" I couldn't help but scream. Tsuruya-san was still guffawing madly.

"Not madness... This is Nishinomiya City!" She was laughing loudly, "I'm going to meet my ancestors!" She strode up to the building.

"W-wait! You can't just do that, you'll change history, maybe you won't exist!"

"Ah, you're right..." She looked down at herself, then at me. "We look too modern, no problem! I can fix that!"

Another burst of light, presumably the last time she could also get into her off-world storage, and she was holding some older looking yukata, and for herself a quick fitting kimono. "What, you want me to wear - GAH!"

Tsuruya-san was already wrapping me up in it. "Don't worry, you'll look good, it came from my home after all!"

Within minutes she transformed me into a traditional citizen wearing these old versions over my modern day clothing. She did the same with her own kimono, not fussed with tying the bow properly, though I did help her to fit it on. We even took off our shoes and replaced them with some socks and classical geta-style sandals, our footwear being held in small bags on our backs. She strode up to me afterwards.

"Okay, let's go, I have to finish this."

As I followed her, worried about being seen by people, I voiced it. "Finish what exactly?"

Her smile remained fixed. "I now realise why this thing ended up here..." She held up the timer. "My family said it was over 300 years old, from the time of my great-great-great grandfather, Tsuruya Yauemon. It must have come from somewhere. My memories didn't reveal anything other than the idea that our original generation arrived in this world millennia ago with all this power. I'm tapping into the shared knowledge to open the portals and for anything else in general." She looked at me whilst walking along the path. "I was born on this planet, but I no longer know where the first family members were born originally. I alone can access all these ancient ideas, thanks to this." She indicated the timer.

"So, you're going to return it then?" I asked, just to confirm what she said.

"Yep... I'm going to miss it, but I've had my fill of fun. Besides," She nudged me here. "You're more fun than all this sliding, I've missed you and Haru-nyan and Mikuru these past few days."

I couldn't help but feel warm at this statement. Hearing it from Tsuruya-san, despite her all-too-eager happiness at everything, it hit the right spot for me.

We arrived at the door to the compound. I didn't see any guards about the place, which was suspicious.

Going through the gate, we walked into a mirror image of her old family home, aside from the candle lamps lining the path to the entrance. Upon reaching the doorway, Tsuruya-san knocked three times, before stepping back, I stayed a full step behind her, as she appeared to know what the protocol was around here.

The door opened smoothly and a pretty lady opened the door. Her looks were unfamiliar to me, but she didn't look to hold any doubts as to our purpose.

"How may I help you?" She asked. Her accent was Kyoto-based, so it was odd hearing it in the suburbs of Tokyo.

Tsuruya-san took the lead. "I would like to request a private audience withs Tsuruya Yauemon. I have a personal gift for him."

She bowed at a 45 degree angle, and I followed suit, staying quiet throughout.

The lady raised her eyebrow in surprise, before letting us in. "Please, come this way. I will speak to Tsuruya-sama if he can accept visitors."

"We appreciate it." Tsuruya-san again bowed and followed her in, removing our recently attained geta at the doorway.

The woman must have been shocked to see us. Firstly, it was dark, well into the evening; I was also silent throughout, from what little I learned about history was that the men were always the ones to speak, so for Tsuruya-san to control the conversation, it must've jarred her slightly. Also, I didn't have a katana with me, this being the Genroku feudal era it was weird to see young people like me without a weapon.

We sat in the lavish and warm waiting area, the current day living room. It had old paintings and scrolls, probably recent in this time, and also some statues and ornamental blades. Tsuruya-san sat in silence, and I chose not to speak either.

The maid came back and bowed to us. "Please follow me; Tsuruya-sama will see you in his room."

We did so and ended up in a room I hadn't seen before. It was both a study and a bedroom, an interesting combination, with a few art pieces now and there. The man in question was in his fifties wearing a deep blue yukata, his hair was mostly white, but some parts of held a light green colour. He sat in a chair behind a desk, and looked straight at us.

"I am Tsuruya Yauemon. How may I help you?" His voice was low pitched and contained a lot of power behind it.

He looked stern and cautious of us. I think I may have spotted a hidden blade tucked away at his side, lest he require to use it. I hope not.

Tsuruya-san again, moved forwards by a step, bowing first. "My name is of no consequence. I am heres to give you a gift for the bottom of my heart."

He stood up, his expression growing wilder. "You..." He point at her. "Come closer please."

She did so, and didn't worry one iota.

"May I see your teeth please?"

What is he, a closet dentist or tooth fetishist? Again she complied.

"You are... I do not know who you ares, but you possess a family trait of mine."

Did I just hear a lisp there? Peering at the man subtly, I could see that he too had a larger fang than normal.

Tsuruya-san started laughing. "Yeah, sorry about that, I do belong to your family, but a long way from now." She bowed, smiling. "Would you like to hear my story, Tsuruya Yauemon-sama?"

**An hour later**

"So, this girl is dying and you can only return to this time... Am I right?"

A large bottle of sake was opened, most of it emptied out into his stomach. He was going to have a massive hangover tomorrow, and maybe for the coming week.

"To put it simply, yes." She shook her head. "I know most of this makes no sense to you, but it doesn't have to. I apologise to this burden I leave you, knowing that this will be the only time we will meet, but I must leave this with you to resume the cycle."

He was scratching his head at these weird arrivals, but soon relinquished. "Very well, I will hold on to this device of yours and bury it at the location you specified."

Tsuruya-san stood up and bowed again. The elder Tsuruya Yauemon did the same, then looked at me. "Though you have not spoken a word to me, who are you?"

I gave my nickname, but saw him frown. "That's an odd name, perhaps..." His face lightened. "Ah, I see where it came from, an impressive choice..."

"Okay, first I need to open our route home..."

She pulled out the timer and reset the coordinates for our home planet and time, then pressed the button. The last portal glowed gold and even electricity circled around it. Tsuruya Yauemon fell back in shock.

"What is this witchcraft? Is this the portal yous were talking about?"

Tsuruya-san nodded and pulled out her timer, removing the titanium-caesium alloy. It was dull, then began glowing. Soon it finished, and looked brand new.

"I see, it renewed itself..." She threw it to her ancestor. "Please bury this as soon as you can. I'm sorry about all this. I'll remember you, honoured ancestor."

She bowed deeply, a 90 degree angle this time. I copied her and turned to the portal.

"Ready?" I asked her, trying to keep her mind off the present.

"Good to go, jump!"

Doing so, we were flung into the portal, our bodies hurtling back to the present. I could feel a difference in the gold walls, they were closing in behind us, like squashing out the last of the toothpaste from the tube container. The opening was ahead, and we got to it in time, ahead of the crushing force.

**5 days ago  
Home Dimension  
**

Landing unceremoniously on our backsides, the air was still. It was later in the day, and we were coincidentally behind the Tsuruya complex. My phone bleeped loudly, and I pulled it out, only for my eyes to boggle out at the new date showing, having resynchronised with my world's atomic clocks.

I had lost 2 days…

The portal flickered, and like the water overflowing from a glass, the inside poured out and flooded the air, until it dissipated for the last time. The sky was dark, and the area silent around us, only to be interrupted by a single sniff.

Checking my right, I saw Tsuruya-san clutch at her nose as she picked herself up from the ground. She didn't look happy.

"Tsuruya-san, are you okay?" I saw her dusting down her school uniform, which she was still wearing underneath the kimono from when she left our world all those days ago.

"I'm fine..." She looked up at the starry sky, and I could see her tears reflecting the light from the streetlamp.

Yep, Tsuruya-san was crying. Something I had never, nor had ever wanted, to see in my life. Here was a girl so similar to Haruhi in every way and form, aside from her grounding in common sense, which Haruhi didn't possess. Though her life was perfectly fine the way it was, she found a new purpose with her sliding, and revelling in her old memories of fun worlds.

Now it was all gone, and she was back to 'normal'. Even someone as fulfilled as Tsuruya-san would be feeling the loss.

I did what any self-respecting gentleman would do, and I patted and rubbed her back, trying to soothe her. Without any prompting, Tsuruya-san leaned into my hand, one thing led to another, and I was hugging her. I felt my yukata getting wetter from her crying, and she showed no sign of letting up, until five minutes had passed. Sniffling loudly she squeezed her nose and looking up, her face red.

"Well, Kyon-kun, it has been a good time. I'm sorry to show you this side of mes."

Don't mention it; it's only understandable that you'd get this emotional. We'll be here to support you, and you'll still have fun with all of us. To us, you're as valuable as ever, that will never change.

Tsuruya-san wiped her face with her kimono sleeve, and her face shone brighter with her former grin. "That's megas good news! I'm glad I brought you with me." She slammed her hand on my back in a friendly gesture. "Well, times to go home now. Keep that yukata, I have plenty of them. If things go okay with Haru-nyan, we'll all go out sometime and have a big party at my home!"

She waved once at me, and when I responded in a similar fashion, she jogged off to her nearby mansion.

I took my time getting home. It would be a tad difficult explaining my new outfit, and my two days of going missing, to my parents.

---  
**Author's Notes**

The next stage has been complete, another part of the universe has been destroyed as Haruhi's death approaches, day by day. As the concept of the reality warper's death gets closer, you'll have to guess that things aren't going to end peacefully for all involved.

There will be a few surprises coming up, some that none of you will be expecting, which I believe will satisfy you all.

- J


	9. Purposive Adjudication

**The Death of Haruhi Suzumiya**

**Purposive Adjudication**

**Chapter 9**

**4 days ago**

It took some time to convince my parents that I hadn't run away. My little sister was surprisingly crying when she first saw me, and she would let me go for a whole hour, 'in case I ran away again' according to her.

I realised then that I no longer wanted to treat her like just a kid. She was already becoming more mature in her own way, and not physically like her friend Miyokichi, but mentally. Maybe it was the influence of her school; it could even be me, or our interactions with Haruhi et al. She and Asahina-san did get on amazingly well the few times we went out together as a large group.

None the less, I slept fitfully again, the LCD clock said it was around 2am, for today was the day I had to decide the future of the world.

And it scared me.

**Lunchtime  
North High**

I chose to come to school today, seeing as the meeting would still occur not matter how much I put it off, besides, there was something else I had to do. I ate my food fast, because I wanted to get everyone's opinion subtly, before committing to any decision.

The first person I found was Asahina-san. She was sitting outside under the tree Haruhi retreated to after being thanked for the culture festival. She brightened up at seeing me walking towards her, but I think my face scared her slightly.

"Kyon-kun, what's wrong?" Her worried tone sent daggers of guilt through my body.

"Nothing much..." I sat down next to her, clearing some wet grass first. "I just need your help on something."

"Anything I can do to help, I'd be happy to." Her smile put me at ease.

I cleared my throat; this wasn't going to be easy. "If someone had a choice to make between two options, the first option starts good, but could end horribly; the second begins terribly, but will definitely end up happy. Which one would you choose?"

Asahina-san cupped her chin cutely, pouting her lips. "Hmm, well maybe if I knew how bad the options were..."

"Really bad..." I rephrased for her.

"Hmm... Then I would go for the first choice, you said that it might not end bad. If you could ensure it to remain positive, then maybe it wouldn't be so terrible. The second one doesn't sound so appealing, since the bad event does happen, even though the ending will be good."

I sighed at hearing this answer.

"However, whatever choice Kyon-kun made, I would be happy regardless. I trust him completely."

Her honesty got to me, and I had trouble in responding, my mouth making movements with no sound coming from it. She giggled lightly.

"Thank you Asahina-san." I got up and waved to her as I went back into the school.

After finding Koizumi in his usual class, I asked the same question.

"So, who gave you these choices? Well, it doesn't matter. Naturally, the one with the better outcome would be preferable, although the first bad event might be too much for some people." His eyes were sharper here, but relaxed to his foxy state. "However, the other alternative does provide some method of salvation, seeing as the bad events wouldn't be compulsory." He shrugged. "I can't make you choose, you need to solve it yourself."

Thanks Koizumi, even though you didn't really help me much, you clarified it for me.

Tsuruya-san's laughs could be heard from across the corridor, so I heading straight for it. "Kyon-kun? How're things?"

Yes, her mood had lifted from its bad state earlier, and she was back into hyperdrive again. I stated the same question to her.

"Ohohoho, Kyon-kun has a big decision facing hims, eh?" She moved her face in really close to mine, grinning all the way. I could smell freshly mowed grass for some reason from her shampoo. "Well, I won't say or do anythings to make you decide. Whatever it is, I'm sure you'll come up with the right reason, and if nots, well, we'll work something out!"

Slapping me loudly on my back, she spoke to her other friends, guessing correctly that I wanted to leave, and I went to the last place I had to go to.

The clubroom was still, apart from a slight sound, like the humming and clicking of an air-conditioner at its lowest fan power. Moving to the source, I pulled up a chair and sat opposite it.

"Nagato..." I didn't wait for a response before speaking on. "This is not a vital request. I want to ask you something, your opinion again. If you want me to continue, please say so."

After ten seconds had passed, and another failed attempt to access the Data Sentient Entity was logged, Nagato looked up at me, her eyes peering deep into my own.

Damn, the incandescent light I could usually see in them was getting dimmer; I didn't want to think about losing her either right now.

"Speak." She stated, and I asked my question, the same way I asked the others. "What level of destruction or negative factors are the two possible effects?"

"I'd say the highest level for the first one, but the second one isn't so much as dangerous, but very painful to me and others personally."

There was little point in hiding these things from Nagato, since she never spoke of things she and I talked about to others like Koizumi. Being detached from her boss also makes this appear to be a personal opinion, just like the first time I asked her.

"Given that the first option is an optional form of total destruction, this makes that option less viable for consideration. Though you haven't stated probabilities that the secondary effect would come into being, it would be safe to assume it involves a randomising factor that is specific in being chaotic and unable to predict."

That about sums Haruhi up, yep.

"The second option involves a negative personal effect on you, and persons unspecified. However, it does finalise on a positive effect for all. While personal sadness does not compare to a global or universal scale of destruction, it can however affect you and said persons for the rest of their lives."

I waited for Nagato to give me her final impression.

"However, this requires no more thought from me. Both options are equal in positive and negative effects, as human emotions cannot be quantified like those of death statistics or financial losses from corruption of peace. Given the current status of Haruhi Suzumiya, I can assume that this relates to her in some form."

I dared not move a muscle to confirm her suspicions, but something must've given me away because she continued.

"All evidence considering, I will not give my personal analysis, beyond that of what I have spoken."

Her eyes conveyed something I hadn't seen before, although to all other observers, there was no outward difference in her manner.

"All major decisions that have been made by your person have always led to a positive outcome, regardless of the temporary detrimental side-effects that were incurred in the meantime. Therefore, I place my full trust in you, and I am betting on you once more. I believe that, again, this choice will not turn into something less beneficial, as it has never happened before in my lifetime of associating with your person."

Yes, those eyes showed something I had been waiting for in a long time now.

The look of complete trust in someone, me in particular. The sign that she considers me a true friend of hers, and vice versa, which only firmed my deep-set admiration for the petite girl opposite me. No matter what I chose, even if it was to erase all existence, she would still believe in me to the end, something even I couldn't guarantee about myself. Her opinion I discovered at that moment, was the one I cared for the most out of the rest of the Brigade members.

I had never felt closer to Nagato than I had in these scant moments.

The urge to embrace her, or even to touch her arm or hand was so overwhelming, but I felt that any contact with her would ruin the seriousness of this conversation, and that she would retreat into herself again, piling on the infinite layers of data over her fluctuating, yet burgeoning, emotions.

So instead, I chose to smile in response.

"Thanks Nagato... You've really simplified things for me." She nodded briefly, her soft hair floating with the movement. "Before I leave for now, how are things going?" I didn't need to say about what I was talking about.

"I have been granted Priority One access to attempt access to the Data Integrated Thought Entity. All other Human Interface Terminals have been granting me access to their bandwidth pipelines, so I have sole security clearance for maximum speed upload and download."

"Any luck?"

"None. Data and Matter collisions are severely hampering all my requests for re-initialisation. The Entity is using its full power to prevent dissemination into nothingness from the encroachment of Matter. This is what I have concluded, as it is impossible to maintain connection with the Entity for a lengthened duration."

I didn't want to pry any further, about if she would succeed.

Nevertheless, it seemed that she had something to say on the subject.

"If access has still been denied and my termination deadline has passed, you will receive a list of instructions to follow. You will be allowed to involve other members if you so wish. These will detail specific methods and requirements that must be fulfilled in order to dispose of me, and other persons who will be identified, along with their home addresses. I entrust this to you as well."

I sat back, my mood lowering to below what I thought the minimum could be.

Nagato was telling me of her funeral arrangements.

Would she want to be buried with her books, or maybe have me carry an urn about for all my life? The other people must be those like Kimidori-san. I shudder to think of how many others are out there that I need to help.

All I could do was bow.

"I'll do my best Nagato." I stood up and shrunk back my earlier regrets and held her shoulder. "Call me when you get access."

Her eyes met mine, a little spark lighting up briefly again. "This was already confirmed at the hospital, but I will do so immediately."

Nodding once, I left the room, already hearing her attempts beginning again.

**4pm  
The hospital**

Two whole days had passed while I was in our city over 300 years ago with Tsuruya-san. I still can't believe it was true, that the timer had been recycled and was reburied there... I mean, how many times has it regenerated? Have we been living this world dozens of times before? Time-loops and self-fulfilling prophecies is one thing, that endless summer came to me in a rush, but what about the original creation of an item? Where did the first ever occurrence of that titanium-caesium alloy come from? Tsuruya-san certainly didn't remember anything like this before, so it couldn't have been her...

Argh, all this is giving me a headache.

The timer that could only send us to parallel worlds took us back in time, and back here again, with a small delay in arrival. But, Asahina-san and Asahina-san (Big) said that no one from their time could go back longer than four years ago... Did that technology circumvent this somehow, breaking the barrier, even if it was only once?

Still, I had some time to go before I had to go to my appointment. I went inside the pristine hospital, and wondered what the two days had done to Haruhi, made her calm, or increase her fury?

"Kyon-san, it is good to see you." Mori-san welcomed me at the entrance. "Suzumiya-san is awake if you wish to see her."

"And...?"

I cast a hopeful eye on her, and she nodded quietly, her smile losing the professional look and becoming more of a personal one.

"Yes, she was just in shock at her location, however I would advise you not make any sudden movements yet." She glanced around quickly before speaking to me again. "The Celestials were highly offensive for two hours after that event, threatening us observers."

I gulped. "Sorry about that..."

Her professionalism returned. "No need to apologise, no one was injured." She held out a hand to the corridor I already knew about. "You may see her now."

Saying my thanks, I walked to the room and stared at the room number, gathering my wits, before knocking.

"Come in!"

Doing so, I peeked my head around the corner and saw her sitting up, watching TV fairly avidly, though she didn't look too impressed with what she saw.

"There should be more to do if you're stuck in hospital, Mori-san, I -"

Seeing it was me, she thinned her lips, and that familiar angry stare was back. To prevent any likelihood of death, I bowed to her.

"I'm sorry Haruhi. What I did back then was a mistake, I hope you realise it."

There was silence, before her 'hmph' came loudly. Looking up, I saw she had her arms folded.

"Of course I knew! Touching the leader of the SOS Brigade, without her permission, is tantamount to treason, punishable by death, or lots of pain!"

Does that mean the leader is always going to be female? So much for getting promoted...

"So, ignoring what you just said, you're going to have to do your punishment!"

"What?" I wasn't expecting this.

"That's right, get down and give me fifty push ups!"

"Fifty?!"

Her look stated in no uncertain terms that disobeying would be a worse choice at this time.

"Fine!" I said tiredly.

Dropping my schoolbag to one side I landed on the floor with my bare hands, my shoes groaning at the unnecessary folding under my body weight. It smelled of chemical cleanser, with some perfume in it. I doubted it would be disgusting, but I was at least glad it was tidy enough.

After about forty push ups, I was getting sweaty, all this excitement was not doing much for me, and my stamina had been decreasing rapidly this past week.

"That's enough." She said.

I looked up; craning my neck painfully to see her expression of, guilt was it? Nah, it looked like she knew she was being too much of a bully to me. After hearing no more from her, I got up and clapped my hands to get rid of the stinging sensation of the pins and needles running through my skin.

She looked a bit moody and was looking away from me as I went to sit in the chair next to her. It wasn't until she made a sound that I did anything else.

She was wincing, and the gasp was from pain. Moving further down the bed, she laid down properly, her head settling in the fluffy pillow. This time her eyes made their way to me, but she flicked them away immediately.

I sighed and got up. Seeing her angry was okay, but not talking to me because of that temper went a little too far.

I got to the exit when she called out to me, her voice sounding a little strange. "Kyon..." My hand was on the doorknob. "Wait... Just for a minute..."

That was what I needed to hear. Letting go, I went to my usual chair and looked at her, relief must have shown on my face since she frowned then smiled.

"Sorry..." She said, pulling up the quilt over her mouth, maybe to hide a blush? "I'm just not happy at this..." Her eyes looked downwards for a second, indicating her body.

"I know, Haruhi... None of us are."

"To be honest, I've thought about it recently, what must it be to die young? Before you have a chance to change the world for the better?"

The irony in that statement is rightfully disconcerting. Her dying is doing the opposite technically, though that Sneering Bastard said it would work out fine afterwards.

"No one expects to die, Haruhi, not even if doctors told us." I leaned on my hand. "That's what makes us human."

Her smile was rosy, and I thought I saw her eyes become shinier. "Really? So it's not just me then?"

Shaking my head, I placed my hand on her bed, not near her body yet.

"We'll all be here for you, Haruhi, we'll do anything we can to help you."

"Mori-san told me so. Can you believe she's a qualified nurse also? She said that I won't have long to live, but as long as I don't sit up or move much, I won't feel any pain."

That sounds like a blessed way to go, but it must be even more depressing to not feel sick, but to know that your end is near.

"Mikuru-chan, Koizumi-kun, and Yuki-chan visited me soon after I got up; even Tsuruya-san came to see me this morning... Where were you?"

"I..." My throat seized up. However could I explain that I was in a different time for those two days? "I wasn't sure... If you..." I looked away, the guilt was real, but the reason wasn't entirely the truth.

Perhaps it was infectious, as Haruhi also shared the expression, and her hand reached out for mine. "Alright, it was my fault, I'll accept that. It wouldn't hurt though to know you were okay. Koizumi-kun only told me that you went on a journey somewhere."

Yeah, he probably knew exactly how I got to that place, but not all the information.

"I already told my parents, and everyone else, that when the end comes..." She composed herself for a few seconds. "I want you, and you alone, to be with me." Her grip tightened. "It's important to me."

"I... Okay then..." I suppose it should be an honour if a God wants only you by her side when she dies.

"Until then, don't be a stranger." Her smile transformed into her hungry grin. "Besides, that was only Part One of your punishment."

"Yare, yare..."

It seems like ages since I said that, guess it must be because I'm talking to Haruhi that it came out automatically.

"Well, I'd better be going now... I have to meet some people before I go home."

"Good, good Kyon, try not to be late to your appointment. There may be a penalty!"

She winked and stuck her tongue out at me. Her uplifted mood also brought mine to a higher level, as I steeled myself for the upcoming test.

**5pm**  
'**That' place**

Here I was, at the location determined by that group, to choose what to do with the world.

I recalled the steps I had to take in order to enter their hideout.

I threw a strange red stone from the side of the path into the dustbin opposite, and waited for the sound of it settling into the base of it. The duration was longer than it should have been for a bin as small as that.

Moving off the path, I saw a section of recently dug up dirt. Feeling about inside for something, I pulled out the key ring of a miniature globe of the Earth. Taking it from there, I placed it in a neat hole in the tree nearby.

I found the place to sit, and I pulled out my watch. It was one of those combined analogue and digital ones my parents bought for me on my last birthday. Checking the time, it was now 5:04pm and 45 seconds. My digital alarm went off at 5:05pm. At exactly 5:05:05 I shut off the alarm.

The final part was now required. I took out my old primary school solar calculator, with the four basic functions, a memory function and the square root key. There were only eight digits on the screen, excluding the decimal point, which was a separate circuit. Typing in 5, followed by the square root button, I added 1, and then divided the lot by 2. Saving it to memory, I then inputted 1.2513875, finally dividing it by the recalled memory. I received a small decimal number. Turning the calculator upside down. I read the word out loud.

I neglected to mention. The place where their secret base was, where I was sitting right now, was the park. I was sitting on 'that' bench', one of the most important seats in my life. Come to think of it, most of the strange events surrounding Haruhi always occurred around here, confessions, time travel, sakura blooming in autumn, kidnappings, throwing turtles into a stream, and microscopic data bacteria making dogs depressed.

The sickening thought was that all this time the RIP Cartel were waiting here in silence, and that none of us could detect them before now.

A second had passed since I spoke. That was when I noticed that the sound had stopped around me completely; in fact I could categorically say that nothing moved, as a leaf was stuck in midair in front of my eyes. The stream of water across from me was not moving, the current wasn't running.

Time was frozen.

However, there were other curiosities too.

The sky was a grey ceiling. I had entered Closed Space somehow, but I could still see a person in mid stride far across the stream coming out of the trees. He didn't notice me or the environment, but then again he was paused too. This Closed Space was different, maybe a miniature version just for this place.

Bursting from the ground three metres around me were several walls, or should I say barriers. I was now in an enclosed room of around six metres by six, the height around three metres. The translucent but morphing qualities of the images behind the electrical interference reminded me of the data locked classroom a year ago. The images were even more confusing than that time. The few leaves and organic material, apart from me, still in there were removed, so even the grass vanished. I stood up as I felt the bench going too.

Finally, a portal opened at the far end. I instantly took a dislike to it for several reasons. The edges of it were sharp, and looked like claws scraping away at the reality around it. The red and black colours weren't exactly appealing, but it could also have to do with the yellow iris in the centre of it, staring right into my eyes, as if it was searching my soul.

Loosening my top button even more I grit my teeth and clenched my fists. This was the moment I had been dreading, but I have to go through it, otherwise who knows what will happen?

The portal was similar to a door, and reached the artificial floor, so I chose to calmly enter instead of jumping like we always did in the past.

I walked into the portal, and was met with darkness...

---  
**Author's Notes**

Ooh, cliffhanger or what?

What will Kyon decide to do? What awaits him on the other side?

Or, more to the point, who?

Hope you enjoyed it!

- J


	10. Fatality Rendezvous

**Author's Note: **Please do not spoil this chapter in the reviews! I want people to read it for themselves and to be just as shocked as you.

**The Death of Haruhi Suzumiya**

**Fatality Rendezvous**

**Chapter 10**

**One second later**

It was still dark, my eyes have seemingly adjusted themselves, yet I can't see any hidden source of light, nor any reflections from any surface in the place I found myself.

A light surrounded me, blindingly white, but illuminating only me and one metre around me.

"Hello?"

Yes, I called out stupidly; did I ever think for one second that this could all have been a terrible ruse to trap me, to ensure I don't allow Haruhi to get cured?

"Of course not, we did promise you..."

The room was finally shown, well, the floor at least, by around twenty metres. It was metallic, with large plates welded or riveted to the ground, but you could still see through the gaps. It seemed to be made of dull metal, and mostly rusted. Beneath the grills and vents I could a fire burning far beneath the floor.

We were teetering away above hell itself.

The person who spoke to me came out of the far reaches of the room into the lit area. It was none other than the Nonchalant Lady, her peaceful expression opposing my once horrified face.

"You're free to go after this; we will not hold you hostage, as there is no need."

She came in closer and touched the white barrier which was the light around me, small octagonal shapes appearing as she pushed harder. They fell away soon and I chose to step backwards from her. She had a look of disappointment as I did this.

"You still don't trust me, do you? I already apologised to you over the previous event, but perhaps it was too personal for you to consider one."

The strange thing was that this room sounded immense, her voice both carried far, but also died out once it reached the shadow, and I got the feeling that we were in a large cavern of some sort.

"Well, it wouldn't hurt for him to spend just that little extra bit of time with us."

The nasty accent came from that other person, the Sneering Bastard. His superior mocking smile turned many twists into my mind, gears rotating into the necessary position for me to smack him about the face.

He held up his hands, as if placating a small child. "Like a few bruises are really going to hurt me... I care little about your petty excuse for a life, nor for this primitive time." He sighed disgustedly. "Yet, I'm forced to stay here to hear your response to the question we asked you."

I wasn't taking his words lightly. "Who's telling you to stay here?"

"Are you truly that stupid?" His chuckle cut at my core. "I'm afraid that answer to that is 'Classified Information'."

His tone made me wonder if he did have the same programmed limitations as Asahina-san, or if he just said that because I didn't need to know.

"I'll tell it when everyone is here." I wasn't about to give away my position whilst not knowing if the others were going to hear about it.

"Oh?" he was mildly interested. "Your lack of trust in us only makes me more interested." His face wrinkled over again to its foul state. "What makes you think the others are not here?"

I was getting scared again – were they ready to strike at me? – I couldn't be sure, the only sound I could hear was my own heartbeat and my shuffling feet grating on the metal.

The Nonchalant Lady interjected my panic attack. "Do you recall your entrance to our land?"

How could I forget, the most meaningless amount of searching and rubbish ever.

She shook her head at my words. "Not quite..."

She held out her palm, in a manner disturbingly familiar to Koizumi against the Cave Cricket. Much to my dismay, she produced a fireball, but to put me at ease, she kept it hovering above her hand.

"This power, granted to espers around the globe, originated from Haruhi Suzumiya, yet we later discovered that the sun generated our abilities. Her other desire was of two rivals holding the same powers, but using them in different ways, the Family, and the Organisation." She let the miniature beach ball smoke away into nothing. "That rock you threw represented the heat of the sun, the magma of the Earth, and the how it affects the anti-gravitational effects on our bodies."

"My 'power'..." The Bastard spat. "Is nothing more than technology, first granted and accidentally discovered by Haruhi Suzumiya, only to be transformed into the TPDD that is used by all in my time to visit other periods. Her other desire was a group who possessed something incredible, only to want to be rid of it one day." He smirked. "The alarm you set, as you recalled, meant keeping to schedule is a vital importance for a time traveller, a single second out and paradoxes can occur."

"The power..."

This was a new, yet nauseously common - to myself that is - voice, so I concentrated on what it was saying, and trying to ignore who was saying it.

"I received it upon searching for my family, only for this to be my last remaining clueth. Haruhi Suzumiya reactivated the transportation, and the old abilities, as wellth as reinstalling my past. She also wished for twin siblings who didn't knowth about each other. The keychain you placed into the tree signifies the similarity betweenth each realm, yet holding many differences within its roots."

As the person stepping into the light came out slowly, my face dropped suddenly, as my emotions went through the mangle, in both directions, only to head straight for the shredder and incinerator.

The person was a complete copy, aside from her eyebrows, which were pointing downwards in the middle, making her somewhat goofy smile seem a lot more malevolent.

"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue, Kyon-kun?"

That, and her protruding fang was on the other side.

"Ts-Tsuruya-san?"

Yes, it was her, same green hair reaching to below the back of her knees, North High school uniform, same cheery smile and energetic self, aside from her fang and mean eyebrows.

"Ah, so you do go by this name in this reality..." The doppelganger grinned, but with her forever V-shaped eyebrows, she looked as if she were belittling me. "Better than your usual name anywayth..."

Ok, it looks like this one has a lisp-version of my world's speech impediment.

"Well, it's hard to haveth this tooth sticking out like this. The surgery would be too much bother!"

She was chuckling to herself, and I forced myself to stay where I was.

"Who are you?"

She bared her teeth for me, giving me the impression I was speaking to Haruhi on one of her good days with ideas.

"Should I give you the full explanation? It's not entirely necessaryth, but I suppose I can tell you a little about it..." She looked off into the distance like she was about to give a dramatic performance, but stopped and turned to me. "Just kidding about that."

She crossed her arms and closed her eyes for a few seconds only to open them sharply. They were brutal, cold, and everything the complete opposite of the one I knew of from my world. Whether it was all directed at me or not, I would soon find out.

"You're right, Kyon-kun. I am not of this reality. I came from that Quarantined U825, Earth17, around five years ago."

I faltered. That was the barren reality Tsuruya-san told us about, and one year before the 'Haruhi Tanabata event' happened.

"Or, to be more exact, that is the oneth I woke up in..." She growled. "I knew nothing aside from my family name..." She gripped the sleeves of her outfit tighter. "A world of sandth, blue skies and no wind... It was a true hell." She began to walk forwards, each step showing more of her wrath and anger as the padding became more like stomps. "I don't know how, but I was still aliveth, no food or water, but I would not die... For one whole year I walked. I never knew the days of the week, nor the hours in the dayth because there was no night time there somehow, but it felt like eternity."

I cleared my rapidly fleeing voice. "A-and what happened?"

She smiled hungrily, perhaps at the memories. "I found something... One day, I saw a light, something reflecting on the sandth. I picked it up..."

She pulled something out of her pocket and thrust it at me.

I couldn't help but flinch, thoughts of daggers plunging beneath my skin for the third time made me nervous around small silvery objects.

However, this one was worse than any dagger.

It was a small cylinder, one I knew to be a rare titanium-caesium alloy.

"It was calling to me all this time." She held her head in an odd fashion, a queer smile spreading across her face from it. "I found a way back."

She pressed a button I had not seen on the other one before, and millions of images bombarded me in half a second, dazzling me with the knowledge they contained, but all that information was lost the moment the images vanished.

"My past, my home world, my banishment to that world, and finally..." She grinned devilishly. "My sister, the one you so affectionately called me earlierth."

I knew what was going on at last, this was the twin sister of Tsuruya-san, but she ended up in another universe all on her own, her prison.

But she got out...

"That's right..." She kissed her metallic cylinder and hugged it, her eyes growing wider. "With this I was able to exact my revenge on everyone liketh me, but your one will have the last laugh. Haruhi Suzumiya opened the portals, but with my help, they are now closing again." She giggled. "Only I can access those realities any more."

I fully stepped away from her by three steps, due to a blatantly obvious fact.

She was insane.

Driven to utter madness on that world, reliving those memories day in day out – that half a second for me was too much to take in – and her need for revenge on her sister, for whatever reason it was...

She moved back besides the others. They were all in front of me, the Nonchalant Lady on the left, the Sneering Bastard in the middle, and the Psychotic Tsuruya on the right.

I then remembered that there was still one member to go.

Only now had I noticed the background sound, a combination of leaving your television on but muted and a bass subwoofer cranked up to the max without playing a single sound.

""

Something was trying to speak, I could tell because of the way the air around me changed.

" My power "

I whirled round, over and over, but couldn't find the source of my most hated voice. It was a lot slower than I remembered it, but it began to speed up to normal human speech, though there were still some pauses in between words.

" is that of manipulation of data variables detected at the quantum level as Haruhi Suzumiya did not like there to be only a yes or a no answer . She also liked wars between alien races."

I looked up as a red light glowed down at me. It was located behind the three others, but very high up.

"You inputted the Golden Ratio to form the perfect rectangle, spiral, and other variables that are found in both artificial and natural environments. The word was an indication that even in maths, some patterns are fun."

An electronic high-pitched giggle shuddered through my feet upwards, as well as the surrounding area.

From the shadows behind the threesome came a large mass of piping and wires. It snaked around them and began to form a figure below the red light. A cloud of metal drifted in the air to form two legs over wires, followed by a torso, then two arms. A long neck whipped up to the darkness, and dragged the light down.

Though the face was covered in shadow, I could recognise that person anywhere; despite my nightmares affecting me occasionally, I never imagined that they would come true one day.

"Well, Kyon, aren't you pleased to see me?"

Her innocent face belied nothing, but I knew what lay behind it.

"Y-You...!" I wanted to run; in fact my whole body was quaking at the thought of staying still. "B-but Nagato..."

The person laughed, the fringe of her hair covering the left eye, the one with the red light. "She merely nullified my data link." She displayed her body. "As you can see, I'm still here..."

"Asakura Ryouko..." My teeth were slowly being ground into dust as I grit them harder and harder. "Why are you still around?"

"Oh... Well, I was lucky you see..." She held her cheek coyly. "As my molecular structure dissipated into the data matrix, I was detected during dematerialisation by the Macrospatial Quantum Cosmic Existence. It was a fledging power, requiring more strength to realise itself into this plane of life. Repatriating my being, it integrated itself into me, and has become me."

Asakura Ryouko, with the power of the Macrospatial Quantum Cosmic Existence...

I... I had no words for how bad that was...

"I set up that little retreat for you, to say 'hello' to my younger sister, but she didn't seem to like it much."

She was of course talking about the Snow Mountain.

Another giggle from the former high school girl sent my sweat glands into overdrive. Her outfit wasn't the North High uniform, but a sleek figure hugging suit, with the odd protrusion here or there. As she walked around me, wires disconnected and reconnected to her feet and arms. Once, a whole arm became detached and moved nearer to me, teasing me with one finger urging me to come closer. I did no such thing, of course. Her red eye was also smoking through the lower fringe on that side, like a coal furnace in a steam chamber, from the amount of heat beneath it.

"Communicating with the Data Integrated Thought Entity cannot be achieved well in this form."

I moved backwards, but then found myself frozen to the spot. This feeling also haunted me since that afternoon in the classroom.

"Why are you leaving?" She winked at me. "I won't kill you, though I could do it in a second if I wished."

A blink by her and I could move, but now my fingers were missing, replaced by seven inch blades. My arms began to move of their own accord towards my neck, the the sharp edges came lethally close to my artery.

"Manipulating of quantum particles can make anything change form." She laughed.

"Stop this!" The Nonchalant Lady shouted, surprisingly jumping to my defence.

"How about acid?"

My fingers were back, but now I could see the skin running of my flesh, and the flesh peeling off to reveal the bones beneath, though there seemed to be no visible corrosive fluid.

"Don't do it!" The esper lady cried out again.

"Or perhaps, you'd prefer the classic version. I believe this would be the third time, no?"

Asakura Ryouko was wearing her old uniform now, holding the infamous commando dagger. She looked exactly the same as that class experience, or in the alternate world Nagato created, except she still had the red glowing eye.

Without needing to run up or jump, she just sort of flew straight for me, dagger arm held back, ready to propel it forwards into my stomach for a nice painful death as the digestional acids eat away at my body from the inside, my excessive blood flowing from the outside.

As my eyes tracked her movement, I couldn't help but notice that she was a lot faster than before.

A thunder crack broke the proceedings, as I saw a person in my way. No, it wasn't Nagato as I'd hoped, but it was the Nonchalant Lady, with tears in her eyes? Her right hand was to the left, as was Asakura Ryouko's face, her cheek bearing the hallmarks of a rash.

I guessed that she somehow got in between us and slapped her.

"STOP!" She shouted out. "This is getting us nowhere!" She lowered her hand and held it against her, it must've hurt badly. "All we're doing is getting his answer, and we're leaving him alone. We all promised this, together." She stood her ground. "I will not have you torture him!"

Seeing as how this enemy was supporting me so much, I felt inclined to consider her an ally, if only for a short time.

Asakura Ryouko let out a big sigh, like she just failed a final exam by half a mark. "Oh well, it was fun while it lasted ."

She walked back to the others and stood by them, though her red eye glowed further. The Nonchalant Lady was beside her, presumably to stop her in case she tried anything more. She didn't bother readjusting her clothing to its former, more technologically advanced, version.

"So..." Psychotic Tsuruya spoke raucously. "What have you decided, Kyon-kun?"

I hated the way she used my nickname, and my suffix, it made me feel dirty inside to think of her as my friend. By the smile on her face, it probably wasn't too far from the truth for her to have done that on purpose for that reason alone.

"I..."

I recalled everything, the moments of my life in my old school, my younger years believing these crazy things, only to shunt them off to one side and categorise them as foolhardy dreams. Entering North High, meeting my old friends again, and forming an unlikely partnership with Haruhi, who wanted the exact same things I did. Meeting Nagato, Asahina-san, Koizumi, Tsuruya-san, Arakawa-san, Mori-san, Nakagawa, the Computer Society President, Kimidori Emiri, the Student Council President, and many other people... Most became my friends. All the events, battles of data, Celestials, time adjusting, it came to me in a rush. The headache and general sickness I felt at having to fix everything that went wrong, even that time when that whole world would end.

And now it would happen again.

My mind was made up.

"I'm going to save the world. I'm not going to let Haruhi die for nothing. I despise the idea that you even believed I would try to hurt her more to die, just so I could remake the world again without her and all these new things."

"Just as I thought..." The Bastard spoke first. "A typical idealist, trying to strive for things that are beyond your control."

"To you I may be an idealist, but I consider myself a realist. What you're asking from me is idealism."

He growled at this statement.

"So, Haru-nyan is going to be saved by you? Fat chanceth, she'll be dead within a week, and then I can 'play' with my sis!" Psychotic Tsuruya giggled manically, I didn't want to interrupt her ranting.

"It was to be expected..." The Nonchalant Lady seemed disheartened. "Though it was a big ask of us, I knew that you wouldn't want her to die."

Though you're my enemy, you're treating me remarkably like a friend. For that I respect you.

"So Kyon, no time to play with me any more?" Asakura Ryouko was pawing her feet on the metal flooring. "Maybe I should play with you more some day..."

The Nonchalant Lady gave her a silent but furious glare.

"Oh, that's right, the promise..." She put a finger to her lips, thinking, before brightening up, her finger now pointing above her. "I know... I could try out my techniques on that cute little girl with pig-tails, your sister I believe?"

My stomach lurched, my skim was clammy, and my heart beat slowed to one every two seconds. My eyes were wide in shock.

"Y-You wouldn't -"

"Wouldn't I?"

The bitch rematerialised the dagger from air molecules and twirled it between her hands. The Nonchalant Lady was also panicking, not foreseeing this development.

"She's so young, so full of life, so soft." She pierced her skin slightly to make a tiny cut. No blood flowed as wires filled her body. "It must be so exciting to prevent her from growing old, to end and empty her of life, I wonder how smooth and supple it would be as I slice her -"

"SHUT UP!"

There have been few situations in my life when I was really angry, so mad that I could actually kill someone. Once was a bully at school that stole my school money every day for three years. By the end I planned horrible ways for him to die, yet I never went through with them being an ordinary school kid, and not a crazy murderer.

I can't think of any more at the top of my head, but I'm sure it was possible to count them all on one hand.

This was one of those times.

Here I was, powerless, but according to them, one half of God, the Order. I was wishing so much death upon Asakura Ryouko I was amazed her head didn't implode from the pressure I was pushing onto her.

Again, I was saddened, all I succeeded in doing was making my face redder, my pupils the size of pinpricks, and my knuckles white from clenching my fists.

"My, my..." She giggled. "Such a reaction... Perhaps your beloved sempai could be next?"

"Oi..." The Bastard spoke at that moment. "Asahina Mikuru is my responsibility. The procedures are in place. Leave her alone."

Procedures, what?

He merely sneered in reply.

"There's always Itsuki Koizumi and Tsuruya -" A cough from the other two people stopped her.

"Tsuruya is mine!" Psychotic Tsuruya half roared. "She will suffer for eternity! I'll rip that tooth out if it's the last thing I do!" Her wild grin sent shivers through me.

"Fine..." Asakura Ryouko stood firm, and grinned, her peaceful eyes for once turning mildly annoyed, then vengeful. "Then Nagato Yuki it is..."

I knew that this was the build up, the reason why she was teasing me just now, though her threat against my sister still felt serious.

She wanted to kill Nagato.

"It won't be that easy..."

She laughed. "Oh, I know, that's what I'm hoping for!" She skipped about the room, like someone of my sister's age. "Still, we managed to ensure Haruhi Suzumiya's death, due to me."

"W-what?" I didn't quite understand.

"Huh, you didn't know?" Asakura Ryouko looked over at the others, two of whom grinned, one looked away. "Hmm, I might as well tell you now." She leaned forwards, hands behind her back and grinned. "We implanted the idea of a disease inside her head."

"H-how?" This was making me ill again. "I thought you couldn't -"

"Oh... not like that..." Psychotic Tsuruya guffawed out loud. "We just made her realise how cool it would be to die!" Her laughs were echoing around us, making me ill in the process.

She started caressing her sliding implement in a lecherous way. I shut my eyes quickly, only for the Bastard to interject.

"Haruhi is a special person, Chaos incarnate. We chose to change little things around her to destroy her mind, and to state how easy it was to die from something unknown. As opposed to all these ridiculous ideas of extra-terrestrials, we decided to show her the real world, all at once."

I looked at Asakura Ryouko, she'd gotten very close to me, and was now a metre away, still humming to herself.

"The odd headline in the newspaper, documentaries about bird flu, cancer, AIDS, foot and mouth, increased coverage on wars and conflict, such as Iraq, Korea, Darfur, Pakistan and India, more focus on human poverty, depression, drugs, suicide, and finally natural disasters..."

She was taller than me now, but only because I had fallen on my backside, staring up at her.

"Y-you caused those...?"

"No, no, I can't create things!" She shook her head, her mouth making tutting sounds. "I instead manipulated the thoughts of editors, news programmes, even your own headmaster, to bring and prioritise these 'important issues' to your attention." She chuckled. "Then again, I had to do something big, so that tsunami was needed... A subtle push here, a nudge in the other direction, and boom!" She jumped up childishly. "An undersea earthquake!"

"Y-you sick -"

She held out a hand and her fingers spilt into hundreds of wires, spreading around the room. Her left leg detached and walked to one side of the cavern. Other body parts moved places, some even dissolved and floated around in the air. However her head remained there, her hair linked to all parts of her body. The red eye flickered and I could see inside it for a second. All I saw was infinite, the scale was mind-boggling, and I had to look away before my retina shattered from data overload.

"In the end, the RIP Cartel will win." Her disembodied voice echoed around me. "I am sending you back to your world. The previous access point you used today is no longer operational. You will never see our base again." Her giggle brought me to my senses, as I felt myself ascending. "See you around, Kyon."

Many different things happened at once, I flew into a yellow and red portal, followed by a quantum created room, but above ground. The grey ceiling of this weird see-through Closed Space shattered, and time restored its flow.

I was back at the park, the path in front of the bench. The leaf that was there before had continued to move with the wind, falling into the stream, and the man across in another street walked on to his home as usual.

I didn't even leave this time for a second.

Their base was located inside of Locked Time, Closed Space, a Macrospatial Quantum Cosmic Existence created area, and finally a Sliding Portal Dimension.

It would be nigh impossible for all four of our allies to break into this place, and for what purpose, to fight them in their own base? Even I thought that to be a monumentally stupid idea.

After breathing fresh air again, I decided that enough was enough.

I never ran home so fast.

**Ten minutes later**

Forgetting that I took a train to reach this area, I still managed to get home in record time having caught it immediately, bursting through the door like Haruhi does to us on a daily basis. Running up my steps, I again smacked open the door to my sister's room, only to find it empty.

"Hey! Where are you?" I shouted out loud, thinking that maybe it was too late.

I heard a sound next door, something thumping regularly.

Was it happening at this moment? Was my sister struggling against Asakura Ryouko, or...

Wasting no more time, I almost broke through my door, only to find her happily jumping on my bed, Shamisen not enjoying the continual shaking of his napping material.

She stopped suddenly seeing my angry and fearful face, and she got scared. "Ah... Kyon-kun... I... I'm sorry..." She began to grow teary. "I just wanted to have some fun... I..."

I didn't let her say any more, I just picked her up and hugged her deeply.

Having had her in my life for around seven years, I just accepted her as my sister, and that was it. She always seemed to be happy, whilst I had the pressures of being the first child. Yeah, I'd give her the odd hug now and then; maybe a kiss or two for her birthday, but that was about it. Being a boy I wasn't very touchy-feely, and for brothers and sisters it was hard for them to express their love for each other due to the gender gap.

I erased all these inhibitions and chose to show all my love for her for the first time.

I told her in her ear that I loved her, more than anyone in the world.

She was obviously confused by my behaviour. "Kyon-kun? Wha...?"

I didn't want any misunderstandings this time, like with Haruhi. Even though she's too young to comprehend how off-quilter some relationships can become in terms of incest, I wanted her to know the truth from me.

I pulled her back and was still carrying her, her short arms around my neck, her legs cradled by my arm. I brought her to the mirror in my cupboard.

I've never said this to you before, you're the most important person to me. I want to play with you and your friends until you get bored of me. I want to tuck you into bed and read you stories. I want to bring you with me when you want to come out.

"I want you to be happy."

"Kyon-kun..." Her eyes were watery from earlier, but they only filled up more. "You... I like having you as a big brother! I love you too, Kyon-kun!" She grabbed me by my neck and hugged it tightly.

That night, I slept in my sister's room, despite my parents' questions. I lay next to her bed and held her hand as she snoozed away, with me staying awake the entire night.

As I gently stroked her hand, I thought about everything that had happened to me today, the threats, the revelations, the secrets, and that no matter what I chose to go against all that and fight.

If we humans just accepted everything that was given to us, we would never do anything special. 'A gentle sea never a good sailor made', as the old saying goes.

If my choice was between accepting the inevitable, or struggling to survive, I would prefer the latter.

I have found there to be only two constants in life: Death and Change.

With these, I could change Haruhi's death. I could make her life longer.

I only wish I knew how...

---  
**Author's Notes**

As I said above, please do not spoil this for anyone in the reviews! I want them to be as shocked as you were when you first read this chapter!

I went through many emotions when writing this one. I had already planned for the two more identities (no Suoh Kuyoh here, since this diverges from Novel 8 onwards, and as such doesn't include new developments in Novel 9), I hoped I made them realistic enough to terrify you. This was also the first chapter where none of the Brigade appeared.

Psychotic Tsuruya was hard to characterise, it looked like she became more crazy as she spoke, it was easy to classify her though, exactly the same as normal Tsuruya, except all her thoughts were geared towards revenge and killing. That'd make her fairly insane I'd reckon. Naturally, it was a lot easier writing Asakura Ryouko, since she was already somewhat developed, but I thought I'd continue in the sense of an innocent pleasure in killing people, and aligned with the bad side. The Sneering Bastard was again, simple because he hasn't changed whatsoever. The Nonchalant Lady (aka Tachibana Kyoko in Novel 9) I'm happy to say has the same impression on me since the new novel, and I did a good job in writing her earlier.

I like the relationship between Kyon and his sister in the Novels, and I touched on this in the previous chapter, so I thought I should have him acknowledge just how close she is to him, and vice-versa. This is partly real-world related, since I miss my own sister, as I'm in a whole different country to her.

Apologies for the real world stuff, if I hurt anyone I'm sorry, I just wanted to bring a sense of reality to this story, how we currently live in a culture of fear, and how this might affect someone like Haruhi.

- J


	11. Chronological Order

**The Death of Haruhi Suzumiya**

**Chronological Order**

**Chapter 11**

**3 days ago  
11am**

So, recapping my experience yesterday, I remembered the two final members of the RIP Cartel: Psychotic Tsuruya, the slider, and the forever revived Asakura Ryouko, the Macrospatial Quantum Cosmic Existence representative.

It seemed that the members in that group would never get along, given how the Nonchalant Lady defended me from Asakura Ryouko, and the way their own plans interfered with one another's.

However, the fact that they did coexist, though not entirely peacefully, was something of concern. They had the four powers available to them, and they constructed a secure base away from prying eyes. They were a dangerous team.

And they had succeeded.

They had given Haruhi the idea that death would be preferable to living in this horrid world, which was amplified a thousand-fold thanks to their manipulation and adjustments to everything Haruhi saw, heard or read.

Undoubtedly, she would begin to question why she would want to live on, despite all of this.

The propaganda of disease and suicide must've incited some deeper emotions within her, memories of her past, and as Koizumi put it so succinctly, that night at Tanabata, had she failed.

She created the entire situation herself.

From the first cough, the first drops of blood, to the Golden Poison Dart frog, its regeneration, to her later infection at the keyboard, and then the hospitalisation.

How would it be possible to defeat a disease that Haruhi wished into existence? One that was synthesised exclusively to target her alone, to end her life prematurely?

Their statements were reminders to me that these were indeed the people who wished for her to be dead. I was thankful I didn't choose the other option.

Still, there was nothing that could have been done to change things, as Haruhi would've been bombarded with all the horrid things humans do to one another. Even her clinical and logical brain, which would have immediately detected that these things were relatively small in the global scale or unlikely to happen in the near future to her, couldn't help but be depressed and downtrodden y all the facts.

An unhappy Haruhi makes for an unhappy world, case in point for the current status of all things originating from Haruhi.

Besides, perhaps things can change for the better; there must be a way to reverse this total lack of faith in humanity.

Ah, the bell is ringing...

The sound of happy children made me smile, two of them waved at me crazily, and I waved back slightly, a little embarrassed at being here.

Yes, I'm not at school. I'm outside my sister's primary school, watching her through the gates. I had to convince my parents to take her all the way to her school, and to even be allowed to wait nearby for her breaks.

I wasn't taking Asakura Ryouko's warning lightly. Even if it was meant as a joke, though I still couldn't tell, I was not about to let her try anything with me around.

The little I am able to do is to watch out for her from a distance, I can't be in the school, nor can I just lurk at the gates all day, unless the inside of a police jail cell is what I wanted to see. Other grandparents and housewives were here, waving to the kids, so it wasn't unusual in my area to see family members looking out for their young ones any hour they could.

My sister came close to me, dragging the adult looking Miyokichi along too. We chatted about normal things, though my sister was smiling more than usual, and she wanted to hold my hand for as much time as she could. Miyokichi was talking in her overly polite way to me, but also showing some warmth, as if she realised that my sister was receiving real affection from her only brother.

The bell rang again, and my sister, reluctant to let go of my hand, waved happily to me as she re-entered the school.

I heard a familiar chuckling in the air around me, floating indiscriminately from ear to ear, only to vanish again.

I knew that searching for the source would be useless. Asakura Ryouko could even be the air I'm breathing in.

My mobile phone, something that has been rarely used, but almost always used to receive calls from Haruhi or Koizumi buzzed in my pocket. Pulling it out, I saw a strange number, but local. Accepting the call, I spoke first.

"Hello?"

"Ahh, Kyon-kun?" The voice was one I wanted to hear after yesterday's meeting of hell. "I need to see you..."

"Okay Asahina-san, where?"

"Umm... Is the park okay, that same bench?"

Great, I vowed not to go anywhere near that place once more, and now the very next morning I'm doing the same thing.

I thought about my sister, about protecting her. I just hope my gut instinct told me correctly that Asakura Ryouko wouldn't try anything against her, because if she did, she would have a lot more to worry about than just my rage. It tore me up, but I had to accept, I needed to warn her anyway because of that Sneering Bastard.

"That's fine... I'll be there in ten minutes." The school was close to the train station, I didn't have to run to make up the time.

"Good, I'll be there in ten minutes too. See you there, Kyon-kun."

"Bye Asahina-san."

A short click and my phone displayed the call time and mobile network.

I made my way there, fingers crossed inside my pocket for my little sister.

**Nine minutes later  
The park bench**

I was a minute early; talking with time travellers always made me acutely aware of the time differentials, as that Bastard said yesterday.

I saw my pink-haired sempai come jogging up to me, her face rosy from the light exercise, and her locks jumping from side to side, amongst other assets of hers, which I averted my eyes just in time.

"Phew, I'm here, sorry for being late Kyon-kun."

"You're not late, Asahina-san." I was just early for once.

"Ahh, that's good to hear." Her cheerful voice reminded me of how good the world could be, something to tell Haruhi about maybe...

We sat down on 'our' bench, and she sighed. "I know that a lot of things about the future are classified, however I'll try to use simple language." She cleared her voice, and I knew that I would need to concentrate for this. "At this moment I have established a link to my time, to my colleagues, in order to receive any important information from them."

"Okay..." I wasn't sure where this was going.

"You recall the two time quakes? One when the artificially created organism established its presence in the alternate universe, and the second when it instantiated itself into our dimension." I nodded; so far, so good. "Well, those effects have been slowly filtering down through the time planes, and they will both reach my home time, at identical times, in approximately two minutes."

Okay, I think I understood all that.

"What do you think is going to happen?" Something was niggling at me in the back of my mind.

"We're not sure, but whatever it is, it can't be to our advantage."

She gave a sheepish grin, an indicator that she was still the same ditzy time traveller sempai beneath all her advanced technology and knowledge.

"Do you remember that man from before? The one who took the memory card?" She gave a little shiver but nodded regardless, she wasn't happy with being reminded about him again. "I saw him again recently, he talked about some 'procedures' to do with you." She looked shocked and began to scan around her. "I don't know what he has planned, but I think you should be careful."

"I... I understand, Kyon-kun." She paused and nodded again. "My superiors have just heard this conversation too, so they will be careful." A moment passed. "Time quakes will impact in five... four... three... two... one... AAAAH!"

That last cry was a high pitched scream from Asahina-san, clutching her face as fresh tears flowed forth. She was shaking so much I thought she was suffering a fit, with all those convulsions.

Freaked out as I was, I tried to console her, to calm her, but she wouldn't stop, and instead stood up roughly, pushing me back slightly.

"Oh no... This is terrible!" Her eyes were growing wider. "We were infiltrated... There's a battle... No, a war! Haaah!" She bit her finger to stop her fear, but it wasn't working. "So many people dying... Wait, what?" She held her ear and noticed something even worse. "TPDD... Commands are being overridden... The time quakes!"

She stared at me and shook my shoulders, my own senses wrecked from seeing her so distressed. "Time is being locked! Each second has locked ten years of the past from my time!" She gasped and stepped back, pushing me away again by my chest. "Time Plane Destruction Devices... No, they're no longer called that any more... Time Plane Construction Devices... They're sealing off all of the future, and the past to us... Our own technology!"

She was crying, sobbing and she had become a completely broken person.

"Kyon-kun... I don't have much time left..."

Her cheeks were glistening with dozens of tears. Her devastation was apparent.

I don't know how much time had gone by since her scream, a minute, two minutes, or was it just thirty seconds? I could no longer tell as I watched my adorable friend and crush shatter all semblance of her life and happiness right before my eyes.

"I just wanted you to know... I -"

The sentence was cut off abruptly, but I didn't need to ask the reason why.

In every case that I saw involving use of the TPDD, the person, namely Asahina-san and her future self, even that Sneering Bastard, they always went into a confined space, or out of our vision. These included, but were not limited to, the clubroom, a library toilet, the small metal cupboard in the clubroom, a green van, and finally the park bench.

The main fact was that it was contained in a small space was important, and that it produced no sound.

One second ago, I saw Asahina-san suddenly, without any exclamation, flair, noise or overstatement, wink out of this time, forever.

The park lane was still, and life went on as normal.

Until my yell that is.

**Ten minutes later  
The park bench**

It was no use... I searched for the rock and the key chain, but neither were there any more. No matter how much I tried, even looking through the bin or the tree, I couldn't find them.

Asakura Ryouko was right about one thing, I would never get to the base of RIP Cartel again...

I was completely lost; I had no idea where to turn to. Pulling out my phone I called the only person with a vague idea of what had happened.

"I am Koizumi. I was expecting you to call me. I've heard from my colleagues about Asahina-san's disappearance. Do you have any more details?"

I explained briefly what she told me, but more importantly, why she disappeared.

"This was most unexpected, a tragic oversight on my part. Given the reduction of my esper powers, I was wondering if the time travellers would also suffer similar problems."

Well, it has, and she's gone...

"For the time being, remain calm. Though the Organisation hasn't the technology nor ability to communicate with the future or with the time travellers, we will endeavour to somehow transmit a message to them."

I sighed and gave my thanks to Koizumi, before hanging up.

Asahina-san was gone... And I knew exactly why...

The Sneering Bastard.

His group had 'procedures', namely spies and who knows what else ready for a war in the future. Using their own inventions, they did something to the TPDD, or maybe it was an expected effect from the time quakes arriving at the same time.

Thanks to these two things, Asahina-san was lost, sent back to her time in the middle of a war.

I was trying to think of ways to meet him, to introduce my fists into his mouth, and his incisors to the tarmac. I only knew two things about where he was.

One was right here, their base. I had every belief that they knew exactly what had happened, and that I was desperately trying to get back in. There would be no reason to let me inside again, especially since I refused their kind offer, and I doubt that he would want to pop it open just to say hello to me.

Another place was where the green van stopped, at a location on a mountain road. This was a highly unlikely place for him to be, as it was just momentary for him.

The only other one that came to mind was the first time we met him, amongst a flower bed searching for a small, yet vital memory card relating to the future somehow.

Taking my chances, I went straight there.

**20 minutes later  
The flower garden**

It was just like I remembered it, a small patch of soil and flowers growing over it, on a small bridge. Otherwise unremarkable, it was a place I wouldn't forget in a hurry, because of the association it had with him; the courage of those flowers to have bloomed in winter was also a hopeful sight I liked back then.

Glancing about quickly, there was no more memory card in the flower bed. This was obvious, but it would've been strange for it to reappear like that.

It must've been weird for people walking by, seeing me stare at them like they were some murderer, though I was literally looking for one.

As the crowds grew due to the lunch rush, I saw him walking proudly, his ugly grin plastered all over his face.

He was heading straight for me, his bitter eyes bored into mine, claiming his own victory.

"So, we meet again..." He said extraneously. "I figured you would come looking for me."

Around me, the world slowed to a crawl, people began walking as if they were sludging through treacle. By this stage, I no longer needed to fall away from shock or surprise, as so many things have happened until now. It didn't take much of a stretch of thought to conceive that the Bastard opposite me was controlling the world's time and either speeding him and I up, or reducing everyone else's relative time.

"What have you done to Asahina-san?"

"I personally? Nothing, as yet." His evil chuckle made my blood pump faster. "I purposefully left my description vague enough to concern you, but not detailed enough to cause a problem to me."

"So, why did you do it? What did you and your group do?"

"It's not important to you; your time is now forever free from interference from the future. Why should you care?"

"Because I care for her!" I didn't have to say who. "And now you've left her to her fate in her own time, with a big war going on, and I don't know if she will live!"

"Feh..." He shrugged. "Not my problem any more... The Time Plane Construction Devices will make traversing the individual streams and levels of time impossible, at least when the Master TPDD is captured. You won't be around either to find out if she survived, or perished in the neutronic explosions."

"Y-you bastard!"

Ignoring the slow-motioned people, I took two steps and jumped for his face, relishing the satisfying crunch of my fist against his nose. We bundled through the people, and they scattered away, again as if their bodies were underwater.

He was still grinning madly, ignoring the bloody nose pumping the red life fluid over his lips, and planted a neat and clinical punch beneath my rib cage, sending the wind out of me. Getting my wits about, I kicked him in the groin, the sacrosanct place for men.

However, he anticipated this and sidestepped, only to chop me sharply in the back of my neck. I saw stars for several seconds, trying to find him. When I did, I halted all movement.

He was aiming a pistol at me, but not the crude 20th century ones I was used to. This one was incredibly evil looking, with sharp spikes near the barrel exit and even a turning knob on the top.

"Unlike your former comrade, I am not restricted in the same methods, and as you can see I have my own weapons. I can De-Atomise you, create total synaptic nerve cascade failure, and even level cities using the Graviton Emitter, all with this gun."

I didn't dare breathe. Facing death was a side-effect of being around Haruhi. Then again, I am over-exaggerating; I always had the likes of Nagato and Koizumi near me, so I always felt protected.

Nevertheless, facing down the business, and wholly wrong, end of a gun that could destroy Tokyo in the blink of an eye, I felt numbed. I didn't know what to think any more. I've been scared more times in the past week than any human should have experienced in a whole lifetime. This gun was just another one added to the list.

"Sadly, I can't kill you..." He pursed his lips at this; obviously it was something he wanted to do in a while. "But, you did manage to punch me, something I bet you loved, so I'll just inflict..." He twiddled the knob to some setting. "A little bit of payback from the future."

The blue and white light project from the spikes, transferred to the barrel, and combined with a red pulse to collide with my chest.

I don't know what he chose, but whatever it was, it made me scream. Every movable extremity twitched constantly, going through to my innards, which roared in agony. If this was less deadly than that synaptic nerve cascade failure, then I can't imagine just how much less.

My tears were flowing from the fire that was coursing my veins, my skin and my muscles. The only consolation, though paltry, was that I didn't lose control of my bowels. Through all this pain and hurt, I kept my reddening and watery eyes on his own smug ones.

I then heard his last words.

"Time will resume polarity in ten seconds." He held his right ear, presumably where the TPCD lay. "This will be the last time we ever meet. Goodbye, Kyon, or should I say -"

As he spoke my real name, even as he left my world and the flood of sound came from people coming to help me, I fainted, losing consciousness.

**Later that day  
The hospital**

The beeping of a heart monitor awoke me, and I stared at the light fixture above me.

"Another unfamiliar ceiling..." I muttered, before frowning.

Wait. This wasn't that unfamiliar to me, I've seen those light fixtures before, as well as the immaculate sparkling sheen on all the surfaces. I'd been in one of these rooms before, December 21st, and I've been visiting one frequently lately.

"Well, it's good to see your mood has lifted." Koizumi mirthfully joked.

"How long this time?"

I was referring to the last time I suffered something serious, when it fact it was a result of re-aligning the time streams from when Nagato changed the world. I was in a coma for three days supposedly that time, although now Koizumi knew the real truth.

"Not as much as then, just a few hours." He frowned, his plastic smile fading. "Your body suffered internal shock, almost to the point of rupture. Thankfully nothing serious was inflicted on you, but you did hit your head and limbs on the ground several times due to your massive contortions."

I felt my head and found a bandage there wrapped around my hair.

"It was just a precaution, but there is no damage, you can remove it if you wish, if you're able to move."

"Yeah, I am..." I sat up and didn't collapse into a pained posture, it really was only temporary.

Koizumi spoke in an undertone. "From what Mori-san said – sorry, we followed you after getting your call – she saw you speak with that man from the future for a few seconds, before falling to the ground. We couldn't find him afterwards."

"Yeah, he went home, he's not coming back." I pulled off the bandage and showed it to Koizumi. "He left me a parting gift in the meantime."

"I see..." Koizumi rubbed his forehead. "This complicates matters entirely. We were hoping to acquire that technology that belongs to him in order to send a message to the future." He sighed. "It looks like we were too late."

"I guess..." I stood up and walked about for a moment, checking my body for any lasting impressions, but as he said, nothing serious, other than a sore toe.

"As our Organisation is presumably known by the future agency, we will also take into consideration that by then we will have allied with them, unless something unexpected or drastic happens to further our ties with each other, or we somehow cease to exist by then." He held up a finger. "Thus, as allies, they will know of our main meeting areas, and will possibly retreat to these buildings during this so-called Time War. We will leave our messages in these buildings now, with instructions to move them in case the buildings themselves don't last." He shook his head. "We don't know what to write, nor what this message will accomplish, but we can at least give them hope."

The Sneering Bastard's face suddenly came back to me, and I understood that he wanted to fight eagerly. I believed that he wanted to get rid of Asahina-san personally, which made me angrier.

'I am not restricted in the same method' he said, as he pointed that torture device at me. That was when I realised that for once I was thankful of all those 'Classified Information' conversations I had with Asahina-san.

Sometimes, too much information from the future can be used against you.

"The message should include something about protecting the Master TPDD. He revealed that secret to me by accident. Once that one is gone, there will be no more time travel, so it needs to be kept safe at all costs."

"Are you sure?" Koizumi looked as if he was making a mental note. "This could be helpful to them. Perhaps they can hide it somewhere..."

He held the door open for me as we walked out. "I hope so, too..." I said.

I glanced back at my room number, and wasn't able to resist generating another wry smile.

Room 21.

A perfect figure to be when concerning Haruhi's own room number. I was exactly one half of that.

I left the hospital leaving Koizumi talking to Mori-san and Arakawa-san about the message, as I walked home for the day.

**Later that evening  
Home**

I went back to my sister's school, after remembering saying that I'd promise to pick her up afterwards. She was still surprised to see me there, but was eagerly jumping through the playground to get to me. Miyokichi came step by step, and bowed politely, saying that she too would like to walk home with me, to play with my sister.

I began recalling that story I wrote for Haruhi, of the 'Romance' genre, I ended up writing about the only real life experience I had, with said girl above. Although it turned out more like a mystery story, it was merely a time when the physically mature Miyokichi, the same age as my sister, asked me out to watch a movie with her favourite actor in it, then to a tea shop.

She does like coming over to visit, so it didn't come as a shock to me. I asked if she checked with her parents, she said she'd send them a text message while walking with us. In fact, she pulled out her mobile phone and started tapping away as we made our way home.

It's amazing how kids these days get new fangled equipment; I never had anything like that in my youth...

Anyway, I'm getting off the topic. Miyokichi was chatting and playing away with my sister in her room, my parents informed me that they were going out on some private meal, and that I should take care of the two staying here. That was why, when the doorbell rang, I lazily got up off of the living room sofa and went to answer it.

Opening it up, I was met with... nothing. No person was there, and no parcel left on the door step, or worse, a baby with a note saying 'Please take care of me'. Thinking it was some prank, I was about to shut it when a scared voice brought me out of my stupor.

"Kyon-kun... Help me..."

I recognised that voice, it was impossible. Suddenly a large fleshy mass pressed against me and into my home, knocking me to the floor, having jumped from the bushes.

The pink hair was instantly recognisable.

"A-Asahina-san?"

I also could tell that, barring the wide red blush that was on her face and upper chest, she was completely naked. Trying to maintain my hormones at having a naked girl squashed literally on my loose clothing was harder than it seemed, no pun intended. Reaching out with my leg, I slammed the door to avoid people outside seeing, but it was a little too loud.

"Kyon-kun!" My sister's voice sounded curiously. "Who is it?"

"N-No one, just a friend, th-that's all..." I weighed all the options and thought of a way out. I whispered to the girl on top of me, straddling my waist. "Wait here, I'll make sure she stays in her room, and then I'll give you a signal."

Feeling her nod, as I couldn't see her face properly from beneath her fringe, I gestured to her to move away, and she shirked off me hiding her body in the corner by the door. Leaping the steps two at a time, I peeked my head in to check up on them.

"Everything okay?"

"Kyon-kun! Come play with us, we're doing 'I Spy'."

Miyokichi nodded too, as if she too wanted someone else to join in.

"Maybe later, I'm going to help a friend with some tutoring for some time..." I didn't indicate who, but it did sound like an authentic excuse, despite no one coming over for help in the past.

"Okay..." She pouted. "When you want to play, knock, right?"

I smiled at her and closed the door, sighing lightly.

I opened my room door and waved down the steps, trying not to look any more than necessary.

Asahina-san's footsteps came lightly on the staircase, and she went straight for the open door. Without her asking for anything, I pulled out some clean clothes for her from my cupboard, more of my casual homewear items, as well as some underwear; though I wasn't sure she would accept it.

Turning the other way on my desk chair, I let the world's background noise take me away from the rustling of cloth against skin, and her final sigh.

"You can look now, Kyon-kun."

Returning to stare at the beautiful girl on the bed, I was startled by two things.

As I initially focused too much time on her nakedness and blush, I failed to spot the cuts on her skin, and blood leaking from her head. Even as I watched, open wounds were bleeding through the clothing to create patches of red on the otherwise dull looking green and blue outfit. I quickly checked myself and saw I that I too had blood smears from when she fell onto my in the entrance.

The second item on the agenda was that this was not my Asahina-san.

It was Asahina-san (Big).

"I'm sorry to come to you like this..." She said so succinctly. "I know right now you are going through many issues in your life at this moment, and that by the end of it all, you probably already hate me for what I have asked of you in the past..." She took a breath and held her arm, where the largest red patch was. "However, I just wanted you to know that my younger self is alive, well and hidden."

It was true, I was angry at her for the small tasks I had to perform in order to adjust the future adequately. Yet, being a sane human male, seeing a beautiful woman asking not to hate you, whilst crying and bleeding all over, only made me feel pity and care for her.

"That's good to hear." I was genuinely happy that my sempai was safe from harm. "But, what about you? Aren't you in a bad state already, do you need any bandages or medicine? Why risk it all to come back in time, naked no less..."

I failed to hold back my blush, as did she.

"I'll be fine thanks." Her winces didn't convince me entirely. "I will take care of this later. To answer your last question, I was unable to use conventional methods. The TPDDs, as you know, were all shut down, except one. The two other ways are dangerous; however one was already destroyed, as the rival faction had removed the time circuits and the flux capacitor from the vehicle moments after the first attacks."

Which beggars the question, what was the last method?

"Emergency Temporal Shift. Only done in the direst of circumstances, it physically removes a person from his or her own time to the past or future, forcing and pushing that person into the new time, and in the new time period also removing all foreign matter within a small spherical radius. This can only be done from my time due to the AirWeb satellites, which police the process." She chuckled lightly. "One of the side effects is that all non-organic material outside of the body, such as clothing, is removed during transfer."

Well, with a war on, you'd expect all the time agency members to escape like that.

She closed her eyes and held her heart, clenching my fleecy top tightly. "This is only possible for the holder of the Master TPDD." She opened them and gazed into my own pair. "That person is me, Kyon. Your message, via the esper Organisation, helped save my life as I escaped from the rival group. If they overwrite it, then no more TPDDs can be built."

"But, I thought you said you couldn't carry inorganic material." I blurted.

Indeed, I saw nothing else with her aside from her star-shaped mole on her left breast, though that was seriously organic.

Bad thoughts, Kyon, bad thoughts...

"That's right." She smiled. "The Master TPDD is inside me." She tapped the side of her head, then her heart. "Normal TPDDs are located solely in the brain, but the Master version contains a separate module embedded in the heart, linked to my life force intricately. Should I... expire... then with it goes the ability to create more TPDDs. If I am captured, then they will convert it to a Time Plane Construction Device, or Master TPCD, and that will guarantee the boundaries of our time zone. Neither is good."

"But… hasn't everything happened already? Shouldn't you know what happens to the world now?"

She shook her head. "Sadly, no. The two time quakes helped to seal off travel to the past, excluding the Master TPDD. Your current time has been sheared from the future, your future time plane in question cannot be traversed, and we do not know how it will end up. I'm sorry."

It made sense at least, but it was a shame to not know what would happen.

I then realised that not once she spoke 'Classified Information', as this all sounded highly detailed and sensitive information, though perfectly simple enough to understand by the layman like me.

"As you guessed correctly a while ago..." She smiled peacefully. "I am the most senior official of the Time Agency, hence my position is that of giving orders, and dictating what can and cannot be set as Classified Information. In terms of what I have told you, it is not so vital to the future, as I have not told you what materials or components the TPDD contains, nor how the entire process of time travel works." She leaned back into my bed. "Still, I don't see any harm in telling you these things, you only received one important piece, and you did the right thing, to ask the Organisation to protect the Master TPDD, and by extension, me."

She blushed fully this time, and quietened her breathing. We were both silent for a time, until I forgot who I was with for a moment.

"But, aren't you further in time than your younger self?" I scratched my cheek idly. "Shouldn't your future be already locked?"

"Yes..." She chuckled. "It's complicated, but again due to my status. I can't live in my own time, for fear that my death due to accidents or assassination attempts would immediately shut down the manufacturing of new TPDDs. I remain as the head of the agency, albeit in another time."

That must be hard for you, to be away from your family and friends in another place, which I also assume means you can't contact them because your position will be revealed.

She nodded, and tear globules were on the edge of her eyelids.

"That's the price of being the boss..."

I let out a breath I was holding.

"So, what now? Are you going to stay here?"

I already knew the answer before she spoke.

"No, sadly. They'll know that this is one of the few places I'll retreat to, and then you'll be in danger too."

That much was as per the usual for being around me.

"The Organisation by then is stronger too, and they have helped me thus far."

How? Their abilities don't work in the real world…

"Closed Space…" She smiled lightly. "They are able to generate it at will using all their strength combined. I've been hiding in that grey world for a week now, but moving from place to place so they can restore their own powers to do the same thing again."

That is quite impressive; the thought of Closed Space used as a shelter would be amazing. You have electricity and food, what more could you ask for?

"Some company would be nice…" She giggled. "But rarely some people come in to speak to me, so I'm not completely alone all the time."

No chance of hanging around here for long then?

"No, I have to go back, to help somehow from the shadows. The Time Resistance army is growing in strength, and trying to hack to new TPCDs to restore their old functions. The war effort also needs some boosting in numbers and strength, not to mention morale."

The words 'war' and 'effort' shouldn't belong in a sentence together, and neither should Asahina-san, either version, be involved in one. Her gracious smile melted my core slightly.

"I'm glad you still think enough of me to care..."

I sighed deeply. I've always cared for her, despite my disagreement with the way she handled things. Nothing could really change how I felt about her. As with everyone, I wished for her to be safe and happy.

"It pleases me to hear you say that, Kyon-kun..." She got up, limping, and giving me a warm hug as I sat. "I'm glad I still have you as a friend. It makes me feel loved by someone..."

I tentatively responded in kind, since I knew this would be the last time I would see her.

"Will we meet again?"

She pulled back and shook her head, her tears mimicking her younger self. "I-I'm afraid not, Kyon-kun..." She wiped them away with the fleecy shirt. "It would be too risky, and..." She didn't want to speak any more about that. "Remember I told you, there will be a time when you have to make a choice." She gave me a meaningful look. "Involving the future, and your choice would affect me too."

I recalled her saying the same thing to me, that time after all those silly tasks.

Only this time, I already made a choice. To save Haruhi.

I just didn't know if it was the right or wrong one...

"So, I have to go now..." She was checking herself via her ear. "It is nearly one hour since I arrived here in this time. I must leave before they can detect my presence outside of my usual timeframe."

I became fearful. Those injuries were already very painful looking, and she had problems just standing, fighting in a war would be far from her capabilities.

"Thank you for saying that..." She had on a knowledgeable grin. "However, these are only basic injuries, we can cure them easily. How, as you know, is Classified Information." She winked at me.

I smiled, it was good to see her so cheerful in spite of all these events.

"Five seconds..." She began to fade away, her body becoming translucent each millisecond. "Ah, by the way, Kyon-kun, my real age is -"

Her smile became invisible as, once again, my elder time travelling Brigade member and friend left this time, her subtle parting shot hanging in the wind.

That night, after playing with my sister and Miyokichi, I tried to fall asleep next to my sibling, but I had a lot of difficulty. Something kept on getting in and irritating my eyes, wetting my pillow and making me think it was my own sloppy drool.

I never found what it was, but my last memory before dozing off for the evening was hoping I could see Asahina-san again, one last time.

---  
**Author's Notes**

A fairly epic chapter this one, written immediately after the previous. Given the lack of development on the elder version, I tried to fill in some of the gaps that may not have been apparent in the novels, and added some parts that I think make her more sympathetic.

I'm hoping that you would all find this a bit of a shock to read, but seeing as paranormal things are changing (i.e. being stopped), then this should have been one of them. Kyon's anger was very hard to get right (especially the previous chapter), seeing as we have had literally a handful of times, and even then it was only slight anger (at Haruhi no less). Trying to come up with a suitable anger at Asakura Ryouko or the Sneering Bastard was tough, but seeing as Kyon wished to punch him in the novels, I thought he should get his chance!

Lots of pop culture references here, easy to spot when you know where to look (time travel methods anyone?). Most of you spotted that 300 one, it was out of character for Kyon, but well funny after reading it again.

I foresee around four more chapters, then an epilogue. Be prepared…

- J


	12. Data Amalgamation

**The Death of Haruhi Suzumiya**

**Chapter 12**

**Data Amalgamation**

**2 days ago  
7:45am**

The night had not been an easy one for me. Since losing Asahina-san, both versions of her, to the locked time in the future, I was worried; though not about my missing clothing, which had vanished along with her.

Though Asahina-san (Big) was still raring to go and escaping whatever the enemy were planning, I couldn't stop but be troubled about her younger self. Would she participate in the war to take back the past? The thought of the SOS Brigade's tea-maid holding weapons and in a trench came to me suddenly.

I shook my head of that image. Firstly, it was unlikely for them to be fighting a war that would have been common sixty years ago, since trenches can now easy be bypassed thanks to carefully aimed bombs and missiles. I had no idea what kind of weapons the good side would own, given that I was on the receiving end of the enemy's weapon. That Sneering Bastard mentioned Neutronic explosions, prehaps a new kind of bomb, like the atomic ones we have. If the enemy had hand-held weapons like his... Well, I can only shudder and pray it was a one-off.

Asahina-san should not be in this war.

Tugging my school bag closer to me, I sighed again. My sister was as yet untouched by Asakura Ryouko. I took it upon myself to leave her in the capable hands of her primary school teachers. As I reasoned yesterday, if that bitch wanted to do anything remotely powerful using her quantum abilities, nothing I, Koizumi, Tsuruya-san, nor even Nagato in her current state, could stop her if we wanted to. That much was made abundantly clear to me during that occasion in the RIP Cartel's base.

So, here I was, making my way to school to pass the time, hopefully giving myself a short break from all the agony that is going through my heart.

Enough talking, this hill is making me even more exhausted than it should be.

**10:55am**

Joy, another lesson gone by without my paying one iota of attention to the teacher and what she was saying. I'm sure to graduate with flying colours at this rate.

Getting up from my seat for the first break, I felt a heavy hand slam into my back, followed by two things, my falling into my chair, and someone else laughing madly.

The 'madly' and 'laughing' words rendered me fearful from the last person who did that, but I realised that it became warmer and friendlier.

"Yo Kyon-kun!" The happily energetic Tsuruya-san was there, hands on her hips, having just come into our class without me hearing her. "How're things?"

I forgot that she didn't share all her information with Koizumi, so I figured I had to be the one to tell her.

"Tsuruya-san, I need to talk to you…"

**Ten minutes later  
School roof**

The explanation was short, and I didn't mention the older version of Asahina-san to her. Her eyes were downcast, and her smile wasn't etched on her face.

"Mikuru's gone for good?" She was best friends with my sempai, so it must've hurt. "And a war… I nevers knew this could happen to her…"

"No one did…" I replied, to let her know that we were all caught unawares by it too. "I was there and I couldn't help her."

"Let's hope that the message Koizumi-kun sent gots there, huh?"

I nodded. "I think it must have made some difference…"

I closed my eyes and recalled the scent of strawberries.

"It's… hard to believe she's gone for good…" Tsuruya-san looked through the metal fence to the playground below. "She was always so happys to be here… But she was a little scared by Haru-nyan…"

She giggled, and I made an impression of a dog you see in the back of cars, nodding in agreement.

Tsuruya-san turned around and looked straight at me, walking closer. "But, you know, she always felt safe around you…" She poked me in the chest. "Although you weren't ables to stop Haru-nyan all the time, Mikuru thanked you for the numerous situations in which you stoods up for her."

I sort of guessed that the feelings we had for each other were reciprocated and similar in one way, but this was the first real confirmation of the connection we had.

"So, did she…?" I trailed off, unable to ask the emotionally charged question.

"Aah, come on Kyon-kun!" She patted me on the shoulder rapidly. "I can't say everything, a girl's got to have some secrets! Besides, you should know by now!"

I let out my breath, another mysterious answer, how can I know if I don't know, or choose not to see it?

She came in closer, her face inches from mine, and her smile was devious.

"You may have problems though, your list of admirers is growing!"

Sending me a cheeky wink she skipped off to the staircase down into the school, and left me to myself.

What did she mean by that? I'll never understand women at this rate…

That was when I recalled Psychotic Tsuruya.

I had to find out the truth about her.

**Lunchtime**

Koizumi found me walking around the school, so we decided to have a brief discussion.

"The message you sent was successful." I commented briefly.

"That is fortunate. How do you know of the effects of the Organisation's letter?" He was genuine in his question. Perhaps he didn't know.

"I received one of my own, to tell me what has been done thanks to those instructions."

"Well," He scratched his chin, "if you're not willing to let me know details, I'll take your word for it."

I grinned, having wanted to say this for a long time. "Classified Information."

Koizumi put his hands up in the air, his real smile brimming through his façade. "Very well, I give up."

I also let out a small laugh of my own, before remembering who usually said that phrase. Koizumi recovered quickly.

"She'll be back one day. We don't know how long this war will be, but I'm sure the Organisation and whoever else is involved will eventually win."

I shrugged, but reluctantly agreed with him. I just didn't want to think about what might happen.

Taking my leave, I went to find Tsuruya-san.

Again, her loud echoing laughs made her easy to find amongst the school populace. After asking her for another talk, we both went upstairs.

**School rooftop**

"Yeah, Kyon-kun, what's up?"

We sat down against the fence, no need to stand this time. She had brought her lunch up with her and was munching away on some rice, managing to get it all over her face in the meanwhile.

"I have to ask you something. Do you have any other family?"

"Family?" She paused in her eating to look at me, before licking her face. "Other than my parents and cousins, I don't know –"

"What about a sister?" She grew eerily still at this question. "A twin perhaps…?"

"Wh-what?" She dropped her lunchbox, spilling the rice, toppings and everything on the hot concrete. Some of it even landed on her uniform. "T-Twin…? You don't mean…"

I knew this was important to her, the way she was acting, so I had to tell her the truth, of course trying to avoid saying where I saw her.

"Yeah, I met her…"

"Did she hurt you?!" Her face was contorted by fear, and she grabbed me by my left arm, which was nearest to her.

"Umm… Not really… Well, not at all in fact." I didn't want to lie, but she did chill me in ways that no physical torture could do.

"Phew… Thank goodness…" She released me in relief, her calmed face doing the same for me.

"Tsuruya-san… She came from U825, Earth17."

Tsuruya-san clenched her fist. "Yes, but she wasn't born there…" She glanced at her phone to check the time. "I have enough time to tells you the whole sordid tale, if you want to listen."

Come on, if I listened to everyone hundreds of times going on about their own problems regarding their supernatural powers or origin, I can handle a few more.

"Thanks." She grinned, then put on a serious face. "It's a complicated story, so bears with me. If you have any questions, please ask me…"

I re-adjusted myself against the concrete floor, this would take a while.

"So, 3000 years ago, I was alive on another world, with my sister…"

"Hold it!" Raising my hand in front of her face, I had to bring the conversation to a halt immediately. "3000 years ago?"

"That's right!" She winked. Don't worry, I'll explain furthers now." She coughed to get back on track. "We were both around five years old. Our world was beautiful, and advanced for its time, so we nevers had to worry about war, poverty, even money was abolished there. We were both brought up by my real parents, we were loved by everyones."

She took a sip of water from her flask, which was still closed on the ground as the sole survivor of her spoilt lunch.

She looked up at the sky. "Sliding was common technology fors our family, and indeed for all people there. One day, my sister took a timer, one of the most advanced ones, and she slid to anothers world. We couldn't find her, and we lost hopes in seeing her again." She turned to me, a dark look in her eyes. "She came backs a year later. She had aged ten years, and was now fifteen, my twin sister was overs twice my age."

"What? How?"

"We tried to ask her, but she wouldn't speak to us. For a whole month she didn't say anythings, she didn't even move a muscle. The timer was busy working on something, so we couldn't figures out where she went." She hooked her arms around her legs, bringing her knees up to under her chin. "Then she acted."

She wiped her tears on her skirt and stood up, the midday sun blazing down on her back as she faced me.

"She destroyed our universe."

"What?!" I too jumped to my feet. "But how? I didn't think anyone could do that!"

"She did…" Tsuruya-san turned around and walked slowly away to the other end of the roof. I followed close behind. "It was simples really. The timer tells you the next opportunity for you to slide to another world having collected enough energy to recharge itself and to release the portal into the airs. The energy is just fifth dimensional matter, the item that is easily generated in any world, but over a short period of time. She re-coded the timer to absorb all this matter into one single slide, that was the one month. Once all the fifth dimensional information had been taken from our reality, it signalled the end of our home universe. It collapsed in on itself..."

"So, the timer, when you pressed the button it would kill your universe."

"Yes, but it could onlys work on our one." She faced the town, looking over the playground and classes. "My family alone survived, we saw what she was doings and we created a giant portal for all of us, her included, just in time. But no one else from my world survived." She folded her arms and spoke surely and confidently. "My family inspected her timer, because it had unlocked after powering up for the final slide, and spoke of many places. The universes she had seen in those ten years included an alternate world of monsters in our towns that were twisted somehow, meetings with the Kromagg, even passings into the event horizon. She was suffering from paranoia, schizophrenia, and hads become a psychopath." Tsuruya-san smirked wryly. "She even tried to kills me at one point. My family sent her to U825, Earth 17, and quarantined that land forevers."

She stretched her arms before placing them behind her head, smiling again. "I lived untils a ripe old age, and transferred my knowledge into my timer before havings it sent through a portal to a future version of me."

"And… That's how you found it? Your ancestor found the original one and buried it in that mountain, and you got it in this time?"

"That's right! I'm the closest living relative, the one whose DNA outs of a billion matches the same as my original self. I learned everything from back thens…" She stared at me. "Where did you see her?"

"Hard to say…" I couldn't really tell her the truth. "It was a rusty metallic land, fire beneath us. She looked just like you, down to the uniform and everything. She was just… creepy."

Tsuruya-san nodded. "That's her… I suppose I'll have to get ready…" She rolled up her sleeves. "Don't you worrys Kyon-kun, I'll show her who's boss!"

I chuckled slightly, but I had to feel anxiety, I could sense that something big was going to occur. Tsuruya-san moved back to her lunch and shrugged.

"Maybe there's some rolls left in the canteens, I'll go look."

"Here…" I gave her my lunchbox that my mum made. "Take it, I'm not hungry anyway." Truthfully, that story made me too sick to eat.

"Reallys?!" She grabbed it from my extended hand, her eyes wide and emotive. "Thank you!" She said, before scoffing up my food.

I left the happy girl to her meal, and made my day back in to the school.

Thinking about someone else, I popped in to the clubroom, and saw Nagato still sitting in her corner, hands in her lap, her lips moving faster than before. Checking to make sure she was functioning, I sat there. Somehow the conversation with Tsuruya-san took thirty minutes, and I still had plenty of time before the lessons begin.

I laid my head on my hands and fell into a woozy sleep.

**Some time later**

My body felt warmer from one side, as if a presence was near me, and my sleepy state indicated that this shouldn't be happening. My eyes lazily opened to find Nagato standing next to me.

I looked up at her confused and a bit sheepish. She wasn't mumbling, but opened her mouth to speak.

"Lunch is over."

She moved around me and presumably made her way to her own lessons. I ruffled my hair to pat down the spikes that formed from resting on my arms, and removing the creaks in my neck.

"Thanks Nagato…" I said quietly as she closed the door behind her.

**Later that evening  
Home**

My sister was again well, nothing untoward has happened to her, this I am thankful for, as it gives me less to worry about on a daily basis. After struggling and failing to get to grasps with my homework, I settled into my bed to take the weight off my feet.

Shamisen sidled up to me and worked his way over my feet, to curl up into today's preferred style of sleep. Thanks to him, my feet were becoming a little more sweaty from his thick fur, but it dealt with it my usual way, by adding it to my 'ignore until it becomes a huge problem' list.

A little girl bounced into my room, her two pigtails no longer present since her hair had just been wet.

"Kyon-kun, you can use the bath now!"

My sister began to pull on Shamisen's legs, and feeling sorry for the calico for a moment, I picked him up and placed him on the part of quilt I was laying on, which was nice and warm from me.

"Okay, thanks. Let Shami sleep, he's been a bit restless today."

That part was no lie, he has been acting up a bit and moving about a lot in his trying to find a decent place. Most occasions I woke up because he brushed against my legs moving from one area to another. He did seem to appreciate being on the warm part of the bed, so I stroked him once before moving on.

"Okay, Kyon-kun!" She stoked him, perhaps bit harder than he liked, and jogged off to her room happily.

**Ten minutes later  
Bathroom**

The hot water of the soaking tub was refreshing and tingly, sending pleasant reactions throughout my body, my skin became smoother and my muscles unwound themselves.

Placing the small towel on my head, I began to drift off as a distant ringing came to my attention. The door of the bathroom then opened a few seconds later.

"Kyon-kun…" My sister was there with a cheeky smile. "Phone for you!"

"Huh?" I wasn't expecting anyone. "Who is it?"

"I don't know…" She giggled. "But it's a girl!" Her voice trailed off in a giddy way, her smiles making me think that she knew something.

Memories of Miyokichi came back to me, and I wondered what she would want. Taking the phone and shooing my sister out of the bathroom, I sat up, dried my ear and held the receiver closer.

"Hello?"

"………"

Hmm, a prank call? Isn't this a bit childish?

"Who is this?"

"………" The quiet breathing of the person brought back the name, but she replied before I could say anything. "Yuki Nagato."

"Nagato?" I sat up faster. "Have you made contact with your boss?"

"That is correct. I require your immediate attendance." Me, why does she need me? "Initiating Upper Level Matter to RJ45 data conversion…"

Uh oh… This wasn't good. I quickly snatched the giant towel hanging from the rack.

"N-Nagato, wait!"

She wasn't listening, and had in fact continued talking.

"… and commence data modulator demodulator transferral method."

Her old style super-enhanced speed talking came across, followed by the unmistakable sound of an old 56k modem connecting to an ISP.

Suddenly, I felt my sense split between two rooms, and as I vanished from my bathroom, wondering what had happened to the telephone, I was in Nagato's apartment, staring at her face an inch away from mine.

Although, I was naked at this point, and lying on top of her body.

"Gah!"

I jumped back and recalled my towel was in my hand, and I quickly wrapped it around me to maintain what little dignity I had left.

Nagato sat up slowly and blinked at me, obviously questioning my state of dress. She put the phone receiver near her leg back on the base, terminating the call.

"S-sorry, Nagato. I was in the bath you see, and –"

"It's not important. I miscalculated your point of arrival and as such failed to estimate how your mass would impact upon my own once converted into conventional matter."

"Umm, okay…"

I still couldn't hide my blush, to think that Asahina-san (Big) went through the same thing as me yesterday…

"Accessing Data Integrated Thought Entity, Priority One access. All pipelines, full burst."

Nagato's eyes lit up like never before. In the past when I could see a galaxy of stars in there, it couldn't be compared to what I could see now. It was a universe of galaxies. In fact, her entire body glowed with a thin white lining, her hair moved in an unseeing breeze and began to morph into a deep honey colour, and from her back sprouted two golden and silver wings, made from tiny written lines of SQL code, programming languages, human ones, as well as countless others, all contained in those small appendages. A subtle halo congregated around her head, casting the pale yellow beams over her head, given her an ethereal look.

If this is what Nakagawa saw when he first met Nagato, I'm not surprised he fell hopelessly in love with her. The way she looked now was truly angelic and divine.

"Access to Data Integrated Thought Entity has been restricted by this Human Interface Terminal." The voice that spoke was both Nagato's and that of a grown woman. Both spoke at the same time, but each had a different timbre to their voices. "Designated individual, please enter IceBarrier one-word password. Audio link amplified for acknowledgement."

Wait a minute; I'm the person who has the password? How am I supposed to know what it is?

"C-can't you give me a hint?"

"Invalid password."

Oh, excellent, no clue whatsoever.

"Hint from Terminal: What do I desire?"

Hmm, now it gives one clue to me. So the password is something that Nagato wants in life. I'm still not sure, but I can try.

"Freedom."

The first choice, given that I know how much she enjoyed being free from her boss after putting those restrictions on. I thought it would be valid for her since she may prefer to be more of an individual herself.

"Invalid password. Third incorrect answer will result in Terminal Shutdown procedures."

Great, the classic PIN routine, three tries and you're out. Only this time Nagato will be deleted...

"Hint from Terminal: Emotion."

So, Nagato desires a certain emotion? There's plenty out there, but which one in particular does she want?

It appears that she has desire, so that's one emotion that is no longer on the list.

I recalled all the times I had been with Nagato since meeting her, chronologically, a year ago, her stony posture and emotions slowly giving way beneath her cold front, and the growth of what I would consider friendship between us, seeing as we both communicate more and more, and talking about things that relate more to her than to dire situations.

The last few conversations have been increasingly personal, and I often felt that more passed between us than just casual words and data fluctuations, even the simple gesture she did for me today at the clubroom came to mind, pointed at something deeper.

Feelings which required only one word.

"Love."

I waited for a second before hearing the reply. This time it was solely the woman's voice.

"Password authenticated. Human Interface Terminal granted full access. Downloading: Message of the Day." A second passed before she spoke again. "Downloaded. [MotDReadme.txt – Dictate contents: Data Integrated Thought Entity suffering catastrophic loss of boundaries from Matter invasion. Bandwidth limited to all Terminals to contain devastation. If access granted to one individual, initiate Emergency Transfer Protocol One.' "

"Acknowledged." Nagato said in her voice, before hovering in the air as the glow spread to the rest of her apartment. Her voice sped up rapidly.

"Emergency Transfer Protocol One commencing. Zetta-core CPU at 100 percent, total processing power at 1000 Yottahertz. Opening bandwidth, downloading Data Integrated Thought Entity at 100 googolbytes per second. Ten percent, twenty-two percent, thirty-five percent, forty-nine percent, sixty-one percent, seventy-four percent, eighty-eight percent, one hundred percent complete. 1000 googolbytes of data transferred."

Nagato touched lightly on the ground, and looked off into space. The older voice was speaking. "Terminate link. Establish new contacts. Conceptualise backgrounds. Rewrite histories of all Human Interface Terminals. Alter DNA and lifespan accordingly."

After that was done, she closed her eyes for a moment before looking at me.

"What's happened Nagato?" I could barely catch what she said earlier, and not much of it made sense to me.

Instead of her quiet tones, the more confident woman's voice came from her mouth. "The Data Integrated Thought Entity is no more. I have downloaded myself into this Human Interface Terminal to prevent deletion by Matter in the depths of space."

"Hold on… You mean Nagato's not there any more?"

The Entity Nagato shook her head. "No, Nagato is still the current owner of this Terminal, and will continue to be so until the final days."

"What about the others, Kimidori Emiri-san and the rest?"

Entity Nagato closed her eyes. "As the Data Integrated Thought Entity chose to reside inside a physical Terminal, it was deemed necessary to remove their links to it, and to have them live as normal humans for the rest of their lifespan."

"D-Do they know about you?"

"No, however they will recall that they are all friends of Nagato, and she will ensure that they are safe from harm."

"I see…" I was still adjusting to the light which radiated from every pore on her body. The wings were there, sometimes flapping lightly. "Can you return to normal, or will you be like this forever?"

"Very well." The light stopped gradually, and the wings retracted into her back. The voice also returned to normal. "I am now the Data Integrated Thought Entity. I have my full abilities restored."

"But, you're the only one left Nagato…"

I can't imagine what it must be to be the last of a species.

"Yes… That is the cost that had to be paid." She lowered her head. "However, I still have the former Human Interface Terminals for company, and I also possess membership of the SOS Brigade and its colleagues, and… you."

It was now that I realised what the password to unlock her restrictions was.

"So… Love is what you desire?" I didn't want to embarrass her, but I wanted to ask to be sure.

"Love is what all Human Interface Terminals desire." She stated without hesitation, staring at me. "All Terminals are female, as is – was – the Data Integrated Thought Entity."

"Female, but why?"

"The female is the first form for all life, intelligent or otherwise. Human gender is determined by one pair of chromosomes. Females are identified by XX. The male form is a mutation of the female, leading to the XY chromosome. Due to this mutation, we are unable to understand the fundamental differences between males and females, aside from the obvious physical ones."

Her eyes moved a few millimetres downwards, then back up at my eyes. The dangerous fact that an almost limitless being of power stood opposite me, and I was only clad in my towel. The incident from earlier where she saw my whole body also resonated with me, and I rapidly felt small and weak next to her.

"However, I personally wish to know more about love. Data on the subject has been collected for eons, yet nothing has been discovered."

I didn't want to say any more about it, in case my true feelings were inadvertently exposed, without my knowing about it.

Entity Nagato's eyes glowed for a moment. "I have detected vast amounts of quantum-based data particles centred on this town. I believe that the Macrospatial Quantum Cosmic Existence has made its base here."

I nodded stupidly, before helping her out. "It's taken the form of Asakura Ryouko. She's the one you should be looking for. She... She threatened my sister..."

Nagato then remarked in her cool voice, her eyes simmering away. "I promised you before that no harm will come to you - or any relatives or yours - from dissidents in the Data Integrated Thought Entity. I extend that promise to that ofthe Macrospatial Quantum Cosmic Existence, even if it is Asakura Ryouko."

"That's good to hear, Nagato." I'm surprised that I'm hearing a lot of simple words coming from her.

"As a Human Interface Terminal, my vocabulary was raised to a high level to function at an artificially superior level to other humans. Now that the Entity is embedded in me, I am able to simplify my words to be made more understandable, although I can easily switch back to my older self if need be."

"Are you still the same Nagato?" This question had more meaning in it, I implied if she herself had changed.

"There are some differences, in my thought processes and a new ability to be called into action, and not just observe. Nevertheless, I am still the same person you met one year ago, and the same person from the clubroom today. My being is still here, and it has not changed."

This makes me glad that Nagato won't hopefully change into something completely unlike herself.

"In time, the Entity will no longer have a separate personality in this Terminal, and it will be absorbed into my own psyche, but even then I will not change."

Despite doing the downloading, the Entity would still die in a sense. A shame really.

Entity Nagato glowed and spoke with the older voice. "According to my analysis, Haruhi Suzumiya's death is approaching. Her departure from life will be at precisely 9pm in two days time." The golden glow caressed my cheeks and the wings encircled me in some form of hug. "It is unknown what will happen to the world, or the universe without a Data Creator. Without data explosions, it would be impossible to achieve auto-evolution. I urge you to be careful, and to accompany Haruhi Suzumiya during these last few hours."

"I… I suppose you're right…"

"I will return you to your home. They have not suspected you of departing from your bath. We will meet again."

Her hyper speech sent me directly back to my house, presumably she didn't need to use the phone this time, and I was standing outside the bath, thankfully no one heard me come back in, so I quickly dried myself and dressed.for the evening.

Retiring to my bed, I saw that Shamisen hadn't moved from where I left him, and so I slightly moved him away to give myself room there.

Knowing that Entity Nagato was looking out for my family, I promptly fell asleep, much to my delight.

---  
**Author's Notes**

Been a long time coming, apologies for the delay, but real life, etc.

Note that a Zettabyte 1,000 billion gigabytes, and a Yottabyte 1000 Zettabytes. Now imagine a Zetta-core processor... (at most, we have quad core now). A googol is a 1, followed by 100 zeroes. So that's a lot of data!

Final chapters are approaching, be ready for them in due course.

- J


	13. Entropy Subsidence

**The Death of Haruhi Suzumiya**

**Chapter 13**

**Entropy Subsidence**

**Yesterday  
8:11am**

Something has been bugging me these past few days...

As I'm putting the stuff inside my school bag, I couldn't help but feel that something peculiar had been affecting me and those around me.

I'm not talking about all the changes done to the SOS Brigade, and all the members of it, and not even Haruhi's strange sickness from somewhere in the universe.

No, this was something else, but I couldn't place my finger on it.

I opened my door and went downstairs, only to find my sister not in her uniform.

"Get dressed, or we'll be late." I said before grabbing a bowl and eating a measure of rice.

"Silly Kyon-kun... There's no school today." She had this mischievous grin on her face, making me wonder why she made up such a silly lie.

That was until my dad walked in, wearing his pyjamas.

"Er... Good morning, dad... Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

His face grew puzzled. "Work? But it's Saturday..."

He switched the TV on and sure enough it was the Saturday morning cartoons and shows, not the usual business reports and whatnot that is commonly shown on weekdays.

"Ah... I must've been mistaken..."

I left my bowl on the table and quickly left for my room, to dress into something better suited for the weekend.

As I was coming down the stairs, it hit me all of a sudden, what was bizarre about this feeling I had so far. I checked my calendar on my phone, and it hadn't changed, though I was positive about what had happened.

Time had been extended, drawn out somehow. I got into the habit of going to school every day that it never occurred to me that I should stop going.

I contemplated contacting someone who would know about these things, Nagato would probably be the best bet. Despite all these thoughts running through my head, I sat at the dining table and sighed as I picked up my bowl from earlier.

I had completely given up on the world, from what I could tell, there was no hope any more. Haruhi was dying, and according to Nagato, would die tomorrow, without fail. Nothing we could do would change that incontrovertible fact . From now, any change that I would expect to see from all around me I would no longer bother to double-check, nor get surprised any longer.

My father looked a bit tired, far more than usual.

"Dad, are you okay?"

"Yes, sorry son," He poured himself some green tea, "I just feel like I've been working too much lately, maybe it's about time to take a holiday."

I laughed nervously. He was maddeningly close to the truth.

I assumed that mum was still sleeping, so I left her be. Grabbing the remote for the TV after finishing my breakfast, I saw on the sofa, and my little sister jumped heavily into my lap, winding me for a moment. Moving her head out of my way, to prevent her ponytail from tickling my nose, I flicked channels until several ones had the same picture on a news report. Pausing at one of the more reputable stations, I increased the volume.

"... and these pictures are live from Mauritius. Footage of this bird has captured the imagination and wonder of all the scientists around the world. Each minute, more video is coming in of this remarkable colony just discovered by inhabitants. Previously thought to be extinct by Genroku 4, the flightless Dodo is thought to be one of few species to recover from extinction in such large numbers. No one has claimed responsibility for bringing them back, but it is certain that this time round, we will be ever prudent to prevent such a tragedy from happening again..."

Well, always a good thing. A weird looking bird coming back from the dead. I changed the channel again only to find a different news story taking the headlines.

"... and in his public speech in the Houses of Parliament, Prime Minister Gordon Brown unilaterally declared the 'special relationship' with the United States of America to be over. From now on he will be focussing more of domestic issues and on a closer relationship with the European Union. He also stated that the world should consider the White House to be a 'creator of fear and oppression on the free world' and thus part of the Axis of Evil. Though his comments have caused outrage in various parts of the world, he has received adulation from China, Cuba, Korea and Iraq, to name but a few..."

Huh, so somebody just said their best friend was in fact pure evil. Go figure... One more channel later and another image appeared.

"... ordered that all buildings be released to the public, and funds distributed immediately to charities. The former Pope Benedict XVI, now known as the last Omega Pope, also called on other religions to disband, following his dogmatic definition using ex cathedra powers to stop the teachings of Catholicism globally immediately. Rioting has occurred in many parts of the world, as well as social unrest at the loss of the largest religion. Theologists have made many speculations over this incredible change, however none can alter the order of the Omega Pope..."

Lucky I'm Shinto then, it'd be bad if I was losing my religion. That'd kind of suck a little.

Yep, things had gone a bad way. Rubbing my face and convincing myself that today was not the best one to be awake this early, given the fairly immense consequences of the news that appeared.

I went back to bed.

**Midday**

Yawning loudly, I felt out for my alarm, only to find that it wasn't ringing. My foggy mind realigned itself to its normal status, and things became clearer.

"Aah..."

Getting up, still finding myself in my lazy indoor clothes, I peeked out the window and had to rub my eyes to see if this was true.

Okay, unmarked black military helicopters, check.

Troops of soldiers patrolling the streets, check.

Odd atmospheric conditions, check.

A perfect day to go out for a stroll.

Then again, I don't know what has been happening, perhaps there's a curfew.

"Perhaps it would be wise of you to switch on the television, information comes quicker that way."

Doing so, all I found on every channel was varying news reports, some repeating the ones I saw earlier in the day.

"Hang on..."

That was when I muted the TV, having come to a familiar conclusion. That baritone voice giving me the advice was not my own vocalisation of my thoughts.

Turning to the only other occupant on the room, I hesitantly asked the question.

"Was that you?"

The figure answered immediately. "I saw no one else it could have applied to, perhaps my communications need to specify the person first, how else are we to know who we are speaking to?"

Ugh, that pseudo-philosophical chatter and the obliviousness as to its nature. It was true once more.

"When did you start talking again, Shamisen?" I scratched my head to get rid of an annoying itch that was beginning to bother me.

"I don't know, I just felt that today was a good day to talk to you. Why, would you have liked me to converse with you earlier?"

"No, no, that's fine..." I leaned back against my wall, propping my pillow up to give me a comfortable backing. "So, how are things? You like your food?"

"Compared to what you eat, it must appear to be a smelly disgusting type of meal, but I quite like them, though I wouldn't say no to some of your tuna or meat that you get for dinner. I can't understand why the little girl likes ice cream so much though..."

My sister does like her treats, and I recalled why cats don't particularly like them or chocolate. Due to faulty genes, they can't detect sugar, so ice cream would probably be a cold, flavoured substance, not something that would interest them very much.

"Well, it isn't good for cats to eat what we eat."

"That may be so, though I would like to try it. Despite this disappointment, I'm happy that you took me in after your movie filming ended."

"Don't mention it. I felt responsible for having made you the world's only talking cat, but you were also popular with my family, so it all worked out well."

Shamisen got up and stretched his legs, digging his claws into my quilt, before coming over and sitting in my lap.

"Your parents have been worrying about your city, and perhaps the whole country." He moved his head to the TV, where scenes of riots and protests mingled with armoured vehicles and troops. "While you have been sleeping, greater events have rocked the composure of all people who live, all around the world. It is impossible to not know about one of these situations, even if you aren't connected to anything technology related."

Shamisen's words were getting to me, but he was right, the sky's odd appearance gave me cause for worry.

One channel caught me out, by having all the major news in one bulletin. Instant peace deals between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, a revolutionary new drug from a common weed that can cure cancer and AIDS, and the discovery of a faster form of travel in space shared equal ground with the complete breakdown of the Internet, earthquake and volcanic activity increasing in the Ring of Fire, and even exponentially larger solar flares causing the Ozone Layer to be under more pressure from space.

The commentator wasn't a news reporter, but someone from a respectable talk show. He began briefly recounting what had happened today, then made his inflammatory statement.

"So, are these the results of years of research, politics and theological discussions coming to fruition, or are we seeing the effects of destroying ourselves and our planet? Certainly, all of the events aren't just related to Earthly matters, the issue of the solar flares is concerning scientists, and we are still waiting on more analyses from other experts in various fields to see if our solar system is under threat."

He moved across the studio, pausing in front of his customary seat.

"I'm positive that nothing like this has ever happened in the world. It might not be due to divine causes, yet the somewhat apocalyptic scenes that are reflected in many cities and sheer unlikely coincidences of these events all happening within a few hours make us think otherwise. Is some God out there letting loose His wrath on us, punishing us for all our deeds, or is He leaving us in our time of need, abandoning us at the point when things are at their worst?"

He then went on to introduce some guests and create a debate, of which I cared little for so I promptly switched the TV off. This was it, there was no other way to see it.

The end of the world.

There was no indication that this would happen before Haruhi died, but perhaps the advanced stages of her disease is causing these problems, outlandish events happening one after another, with no end to their insanity.

I knew that things were coming to an end. Haruhi would die, and then what? The RIP Cartel said the world would need to be recreated by me, but what about now? That one bit of news about the Sun didn't sound promising, and in fact it could imply that more is to come. Perhaps the entire universe will need to be recreated again...

"If it does, what's the problem exactly? From what I could gather you don't need to have absolute knowledge of everything to do everything again."

"Yeah, yeah..." I waved Shamisen off. "But still, this is too much, I'm not God, I don't know about Haruhi, as in what she is to the universe, but I think she's important whatever it is."

"Despite all your worries, everything is continuing to fall apart." Shamisen yawned loudly. "For instance, the time dilation period of the past two weeks approximately."

That had just come back to me, how I thought today was another school day.

"Yes, you and the rest of the world believed that things were moving along as normal, and you all persisted in working, without contemplating that perhaps something had been rewired inside your heads about what you all considered to be the weekend, and thus your days off. The passing away of this girl is manipulating the genes and memories of everyone on Earth. One of the news reports talked about a new step in evolution, so you all could be superseded by them."

He walked away from me and sat at the foot of the bed.

"But, I don't understand, is this my fault somehow?" I could sense that he was implying something in his words, which was why I had to respond. "Have I led the world to its destruction?"

"How am I supposed to know? I am merely a cat who has the ability to converse with humans. I may have a mind, but it is not complex enough to analyse all the deeper meanings behind everything that is happening now."

Liar, you're speaking to me as if you were channelling Koizumi somehow.

"I don't know what will happen, other than this reality will change again. Destruction of time travel, espers' powers nullified, sealing of parallel worlds and the death of alien races have no meaning to me. The state of flux that the universe is suffering at this moment is allowing me to speak, to revert to some of Suzumiya Haruhi's original wishes, as well as allow other variables to seep in through the cracks and fractures appearing in this dimension. The manipulation of time dilation is just one of the least obvious facts that have occurred to people on this planet. I dare say that some other factors will soon come into play."

"But what can I do?" My mind was going through a great tumble of information, trying to think of a way out.

"What can you do? I can only sit in my favourite warm bed and eat my healthy crunchy food, or the occasional tuna paste, and use my litter box when I need to." Shamisen licked his paw, before wiping it on his head. "I am limited in my abilities, beyond that of holding a pleasant conversation with you, there is little I can do outside of this extremely restricted viewpoint. You however, can do only what you must."

Smoke was rising from a far end of the town, screams and the sounds of riots burst through the open window, and I could only ask one simple question in response.

"What must I do?"

Shamisen curled up again. "You already know, when you're at wits end, go to where you feel most comfortable. If your own home does not possess the peace you are looking for, then the person you are closest to will suffice."

I stood up, it was time to settle this.

**Thirty minutes later  
The hospital**

The person I felt most comfortable with had left unexpectedly, Asahina-san was off fighting in a war beyond my comprehension, facing unknown odds, in a future long ahead of what I would consider normal to me.

All that remained was Haruhi, and her current residence was stationed in the hospital she had arrived in two weeks ago – or was it less now due to the time dilation? – I can't tell any more...

The streets were in chaos, soldiers were herding people into shelters from what we were told to be harmful UV-rays, whilst also fighting looters and fending off protests, all in one road. Society had begun to crumble, but the only functioning building seemed to be the hospital, the staff, presumably espers, or at least aware of the special connection, still worked just as professionally as before. Mori-san and Arakawa-san were at the main entrance, and were on full alert. They were not allowing anyone to enter, even those who required medical assistance. Confused by this, I was about to ask before Mori-san closed her eyes apologetically.

"Koizumi will explain." She stated solemnly.

Finding the boy in question he elaborated. "What we have feared has come to fruition, the utter annihilation of this reality as we know it. There is no stopping the inflow of incredible events that are happening one after another, both good and bad." He sighed once. "Why they are happening is of no concern at this moment, but I would hazard a guess that, due to the moving ahead of the deadline of the world's termination, and possibly this universe's, all the discoveries, miracles, extinction level events, et cetera are being compressed into what little time remains. There may be a specific time in the far future when humanity finds a complete cure to cancer, or when a certain species returns from the dead, however this is all happening now, so that we do not miss these before the theorised end of the world."

That's great Koizumi, but it doesn't exactly answer what Mori-san meant by her statement.

"My apologies, I am still amazed by these discoveries myself. Despite everything you have seen, regarding UV-rays, unusual electrical activity, even the tremors, there is one place which is not affected." He held up a finger. "Recall the Golden Poison Dart Frog incident, there was only one place in this reality that it could manifest."

The clubroom, so that's the safe zone?

"Not any more... The barriers were eliminated once Suzumiya Haruhi became infected with a universe of dark matter. Now the safe zone has shifted -"

"To the hospital, right?"

Koizumi smiled. "You understood immediately, that's good to see. Yes, this building has been placed in a special field which protects it from the detrimental effects of the world's collapse, hence the reason we are keeping all those who are not involved in some form or other to enter here. It's not something we want there to be public knowledge of..." He walked over to the window and peered through the blinds outside. "It also has another advantage. Closed – sorry, Open – Space, time distortions, dimensional portals and all data or quantum organic particles do not function inside, and thus cannot change it either. If the end has come, this may be our final stand against whatever will remain outside this barrier."

I nodded, it made sense, though it was a shame for those outside to have to suffer in the meantime. I looked over to the chairs and Shamisen being stroked roughly by my sister, and he seemed to move away from her clumsy hands.

I convinced my parents to let me take them to see Haruhi, as there was no other place which could be considered safe, even our home was under threat from a sudden snowstorm. Shamisen was a source of information that could give me new insight, and my sister, well, I didn't want to leave her alone just yet.

Koizumi noted my look. "We'll do all we can to help your family, your parents can be sent here if you wish, and your sister can borrow one of the spare rooms here."

"I'd appreciate that..."

Taking a seat in one of the chairs, I began to drift off to sleep.

"Before you take a rest, I must tell you that Suzumiya-san wishes for you to see her before her death tomorrow, and not before then."

Well, that rules out the next few hours speaking to her. Thanking Koizumi offhandedly, I finally get a well deserved break, only to snap my eyes open again.

"Hang on..." I looked at him sharply. "What makes you think that Haruhi's going to die tomorrow?" Not that it's false, according to Nagato, but I wondered how you knew.

"It was as if I knew all along..." Koizumi spoke slowly. "Just as we espers instantly knew that Haruhi was the source of our powers, so did we also learn of her exact day and hour of her death around yesterday evening."

I see, makes sense to know when your God will die then I suppose...

Taking one quick glance at my sister, who was being entertained by Mori-san for some reason, I took this chance to alleviate my worries for a short time.

**Some hours later**

I woke up to the sounds of laughing, a certain pitch and loudness that reminded me of only one person.

"Oh, Kyon-kun's up!" Tsuruya-san ruffled my hair from behind my seat, jolting me awake. "He's missed all the fun!"

Fun? What could I have missed? Turning my head around slowly, I saw Mori-san, Koizumi, my sister holding Shamisen, Tsuruya-san all sitting facing Nagato, who was standing up.

"Huh?" I join the group and sit facing her, was she making a speech?

Nagato started doing a few subtle movements, repeating them after a moment.

Koizumi spoke up. "Is it 'Memoirs of a Geisha'?"

"That is correct." Nagato stated, and Tsuruya-san and my sister applauded.

Taking another look at the set-up, I only just noticed that they were playing charades.

I felt a bit woozy from my sleep, so I stood up and went to the window for some fresh air.

"Wait!"

Koizumi spoke a bit louder than he usually did, but it was too late. I had already looked outside.

It was a war zone.

Soldiers were firing their weapons at troops from various fronts, each wearing a different flag and motif, leading me to believe that diplomatic relations had deteriorated far more than I imagined during my nap.

The landscape had also changed remarkably, some buildings had been pulverised from some force above, and looking up, the glow from the Sun was brighter than I ever recalled.

"How long was I out for?" I asked Koizumi, who was now standing next to me.

"You may not believe me, but somehow you were asleep for a 24 hours. We began to worry for you, though all our instruments said that you were in fact sleeping."

"I... What?"

It only felt like a few seconds to me, like when I slap my alarm off, only to close my eyes for a moment but then wake up an hour later. That I can understand, but a full day?

I looked at Shamisen and he seemed to wink at me, nodding within the confines of my sister's lap.

Great, perhaps I was frozen in time, or things are really going to hell. Perhaps it could be due to my 'divine nature'.

"Yes, all things are descending into anarchy..." Koizumi wiped a single bead of sweat off his forehead. "Nuclear war has been declared between some countries, followed by invasions on a global scale. Meanwhile, the Earth's rotation has slowed by one hundred percent, meaning the days will be twice as long, though we won't have much time left."

"Why is that?" I dreaded to ask.

"The Earth has also skewed off the path of its stationary orbit around the Sun, and is now falling into its gravitational pull."

"How's that possible?" From what I recalled, so long as things remain normal, the orbit should never change.

"The Sun is slowly increasing in size, altering the amount of gravity it exerts upon all the planets in the solar system. Mercury has already been engulfed by a combination of both its falling orbit, and the expansion of the Sun. Venus is getting closer, and it is only a matter of time before Earth too falls to the same fate."

Looks like we're doomed either way, there won't even be an Earth to destroy once Haruhi dies.

"Though our observations of the universe are limited with our equipment, we have noted that the amount of stars in the sky are diminishing faster than we can count. We're not sure if it is due to the emergence of black holes, which we are unable to see, or if it due to the more important factor."

"And that is...?"

"Maximum Entropy... The point at which life on any scale can no longer be sustained. Of course, these are only assumptions..."

I looked around at the happy people inside. "And we're hiding here?"

"That is all we can do. This building has since received miraculous powers of indestructibility. No matter how many bombs fall, nothing can break inside this area. Although it does come with a cost, no one else can enter in, we can only leave, and that is it..."

"A bunker..."

I looked outside, seeing more people fall from a nearby shell. Whatever the payload in those missiles, I couldn't feel it behind this weak little glass wall. Though it wasn't double glazed, there was no sound either from beyond this window. It was as if we were in a whole different world.

There was a sudden lull in the fighting, as all the people began to collapse to the ground, some frothing at the mouth, others suffering the effects of a missive explosions nearby, levelling three blocks in pure fire and carnage. The mushroom cloud was still hovering in the air as three people walked out of the haze.

Koizumi thinned his lips.

"I see, it has come to this at last." He turned to me, and smiled sincerely, startling me somewhat. "It looks like I, as well as some others, will be leaving this sanctuary." He looked at Mori-san in a peculiar fashion, who nodded lightly and stood up in an almost reverently state.

"Wait, what are you doing?" I was puzzled by his behaviour.

"I thought it was obvious by now..." His raised eyebrows did not amuse me one bit.

Nagato instead continued, having at some point moved behind us.

"The final battle..."

She was staring at the middle figure as she walked to the door, followed closely by Koizumi, Mori-san and Arakawa-san, as well as some other people I never met before.

"Don't worry, we still have some professional nurses and doctors tending to Suzumiya-san. I leave the rest with you..."

He opened the door, and paused at seeing someone else in the distance. "I think someone else should come out too..."

My sister came close to me. "Why is everyone leaving?" She began to pout childishly.

Ignoring her for the time being, I looked to the only other person he could mean. "Tsuruya-san, I think you should also join them..."

"Why Kyon-kun, it's not like I..." Her cut off speech came as she clutched at her heart. "Wait, I knows this feeling... It can't be...!"

She ran out first into the maelstrom of the war, now the sounds were flowing in loud as I've ever heard before, the screams of pain and relentless fires were making me queasy. My sister began crying and covered her ears to shield herself from the noise.

I however could hear everything that happened outside perfectly.

"You...!" Tsuruya-san stopped in front of somebody, her shocked expression not making the mirror image across from her look any less vindictive.

"Yes, me, my darling twin sister..." She sauntered forwards. "How have you beenth, living on this primitive world? Your former self died millennia agoth, and you even lost your timer." She tutted three time, shaking her finger in disapproval at this.

"You're dead thoughs!" Tsuruya-san was shouting. "The Control Timer was sacrificed to send you tos the quarantined land."

"Sacrificed? Hardly..." She pulled it out from beneath her skirt, her face showing ambivalence between pain and pleasure while doing so, giving me a flash of disgust at where exactly she had hidden it. "It was pulled to the same landth as me, and I used it to escape." She pointed it at Tsuruya-san. "Now, you'll feel the ten years I spent wonderingth the dimensions, with me to guideth you!"

The black and gold beam that shot out from the Control Timer was too fast to dodge, nor block. At the last second, Psychotic Tsuruya aimed it at Tsuruya-san's feet, effectively creating a portal right beneath her feet. She fell without a word, and Psychotic Tsuruya ran up and dived straight in, her cackling laugh echoing from the black portal, before it sealed up.

"So, I can see why this place is so interesting on the outside..." Koizumi spoke up, looking back at me and the hospital, but talking to the woman in front of him. "Closed Space is not allowed within the divine boundary.

The Nonchalant Lady nodded. "Correct, it is currently the only point of the globe that is not under the influence of Opening Space. As a result it is considered a safe haven."

Other people were coming out from the background, but they stayed in shadows behind the flames.

"I see, reinforcements..." Koizumi smiled. Mori-san and Arakawa-san were still. "But, I believe our group is also residing in Opening Space. We shall decide this there."

All the espers made a movement with their right hand, like putting their fingers into the nook of a sliding door to open it. Once their fingers moved a few millimetres, all of them vanished, to continue their fight in Opening Space.

"Hello sister, how's school?"

The childlike voice belonged to the last remaining member there.

"Asakura Ryouko..." Nagato stepped forwards a full three steps. "You are the Macrospatial Quantum Cosmic Existence in physical form."

The giggling girl sighed wistfully. "Ahh, Nagato-san, always business-as-usual, huh? Yes, I am what you said, my powers are not what you remember."

"Neither are mine."

This self-confident voice from Nagato was different, as she shifted into her alternate self. Entity Nagato fully materialised, halo, wings and all.

"Wow..." Asakura Ryouko clapped her hands. "You really look lovely in that outfit, how about I show you mine?"

Her school outfit backstitched itself into thousands of tiny wires, which expanded into large cables and even metallic pipes, connecting herself to every surface behind her in a ten metre radius.

"Now we have the whole world as our battleground... So much material to be used!" She laughed whilst forming a dozen daggers in mid-air. The landscape changed and flickered between various images of outer space, a psychedelic area and hundreds of other sights around the world that I'd probably never get to see at this rate.

Entity Nagato raised her voice, for my benefit, without looking away from Asakura Ryouko.

"Close the door, I cannot guarantee that data and quantum effects will not pass through that entrance."

Reluctantly, whilst whispering a prayer to Nagato and all the others who had vanished, I shut the door, as flashes of various colours filtered through the doors and the blinds.

My sister was still humming out loud to herself, trying to block out what she had seen and heard. Shamisen looked at me and yawned.

"Looks like we're the last ones left in this protected land."

Yes, but there must be a way to reverse all this. Thinking back to how Haruhi and I escaped from that previous Closed Space, without any help from the others, I don't need magical powers to make things happen.

Shamisen shook his head. "You young ones are still too humble, too naïve, you don't wish to see the things which are right in front of you."

What then, what have I missed?

Shamisen walked over to me and sat in my lap, staring right into my face.

"Can't you see it's over...?" He looked around us, and the window especially, as if to indicate where we were sitting, our place on Earth. "Because you're the God, of a shrinking universe."

There was nothing more to say to that, I lost all feeling in my body as the anxiety finally took hold of me.

I fainted on the spot, or so I was told...

**---  
Author's Notes**

This has been a painful chapter to write, as it has taken me over two months to get it done. I apologise for the incessantly fast pace at which things go to hell (so to speak) by the end of this chapter. There were three distinct periods when I was writing this chapter while focussed, and each time I left and came back to it, I increased the level of the disaster and pain. You can probably spot these by just glancing.

Anyway, nearing the end now, I do hope that I have not turned any of you away from this story yet. No guarantees as to when the next one will come, I learned that promises regarding writing tend to get broken fairly easily.

- J

P.S. Though this shouldn't be needed, I'll write it anyway. The extreme (negative) viewpoints and events in this chapter are not my opinion, nor do I wish for them to happen, just to get that clear.


	14. The End of Everything

**The Death of Haruhi Suzumiya**

**Chapter 14**

**The End of Everything**

**Two hours ago  
The hospital**

My eyes opened once more, and I stared up at the ceiling, wondering why I was seeing it again. Suddenly, my sister jumped onto me, hugging me with all her might.

"Kyon-kun!"

Awkwardly hugging her back, given that my arms were still trapped in the sheets of my bed, I consoled her somehow. A nurse came briskly into the room, looking at me directly.

"You fainted approximately two hours ago, Kyon-san." Her eyes were wise and I instantly recalled that Koizumi said that all the remaining staff were either experts in their field, or backup espers. "Do you feel any pain at all?"

I quickly moved all my joints and turned my head, before coming to the negative conclusion, "No, I seem to be fine."

"Please, have some water first before you return to the waiting area." She seemed professional, but I could sense that she was worried about what was happening outside.

"Thanks..." I accepted the plastic cup she handed to me, and got out of bed, carrying my sister out at the same time.

The blinds were still down, and I was fearing what would be outside. My sister sat next to me, her demeanour muted and anxious. I guessed that she too worried for all the others, especially since she saw what lay outside that time when the trio came for the remainder of the SOS Brigade.

Only Shamisen, my sister, Haruhi and I remained of the original crew. I don't know what happened to Kunikida and Taniguchi, but I can't believe it would be good, whatever it was.

I sneaked a peek out between the blinds, and instantly I wished I hadn't.

Nothing I expected prepared me for this.

A dead world, until the horizon, a barren land, just desert. From what little I could see, we were on an elevated plateau, perhaps our zone of protection also included the foundations and all the land beneath us, to prevent the building from falling. We were a lone pillar in a yellow orange space, just like that quarantined world...

I sat down after that, unwilling to faint again. I couldn't even bring myself to hug my sister, who was all caught up in her own thoughts and fears.

Shamisen was right about one thing, the universe was shrinking, and at this rate, nothing would be left behind after all this.

The complete absence of existence itself.

However, he called me God, which is plainly untrue, just as the RIP Cartel called me one half of God, the Order so to speak.

Yet, I can still not find a way to change anything, my frustration at not being able to make anything change what it is now is accelerating, as time grows shorter and shorter.

Or, as I should expect, time is fluid, it no longer travels at normal speeds any more, as I was informed by the nurse that Haruhi wanted me to see her.

**Present day**

I had now been speaking with her for about ten minutes, and she had just told me I would continue the SOS Brigade to find strange things.

Of course it wasn't as simple as she said, the world was over, the chances of civilisation returning to normal after something as hellish as this was as likely as Haruhi admitting that everything she did was all pointless, and give up trying to find her dreams.

Naturally, I was crying for her well-being, the person in front of me would be dead within no time, and there nothing left I could think of. Everyone was gone, some probably dead at this time.

Haruhi was growing angrier. "Oi, Kyon! I'm not having get all mushy on me, you know?" She huffed, folding her arms, "The SOS Brigade leader must be strong, and courageous, and -"

"Stop it!"

I had lost my temper with her. In spite of her imminent death, all I could think about was my own sanity. Stunned, she watched me storm out of the room, only to return moments later with a grumpy Shamisen, where I unceremoniously dumped him in her lap.

"Haruhi, what I'm going to say to you will probably drive you mad, but to be honest, I don't care any more..." She stared at my face, still in shock at my outburst, "Everything you ever dreamed of, and more, is real, or is happening as we speak." I pointed to my pet, "Even the surprises we have come in small packages."

Shamisen wasn't happy at the label, "I'd prefer it if you didn't call me that, I have some sense of dignity at being considered an intelligent being."

Haruhi mouth went into a circular shape, hearing the cat speak.

"You..." She looked at me, "Was that ventriloquism?"

I clenched my fist as the cat spoke on. "Most certainly not, I am my own person, or creature, and I can think for myself as well as defend my honour when someone tarnishes it." He looked at me, his eyes half lidded. "I will go now to your sister, she was petting me rather nicely till you barged in."

With those words, Shamisen left, and I closed the door behind him. Calming down, letting my heart beat slower and slower, I focussed on Haruhi.

"Sorry about that, I didn't mean to get angry at you, it's not really your fault, not at all."

I sat at the side of her bed, where the chair was, and looked into her sad face. "Do you remember that day, the one where I arrived before you at the meeting place?"

Haruhi scrunched her face up like a rose drying out in the sun, "Yeah, I had to pay for you that day! That was really annoying."

"Do you remember what I talked about?"

Haruhi glanced to her side, "Something like Mikuru-chan being a time traveller, Yuki being an alien and Koizumi-kun being an esper, right?"

"Yeah," I was glad she recalled it, this makes what I'm about to say easier, "It's all true, they are who I said they are." I paused, as I thought of an addition to mention, "Also, Tsuruya-san is a slider."

Haruhi stared at me and cracked a smile, "Come on Kyon, you can't expect to cheer me up like that..."

I wasn't accepting her dismissal that easily. I had to ensure that this worked out right time time around.

"No, Haruhi, you've got it all wrong." I indicated the closed door, "Shamisen talked, all because of that one wish you had back during the film, you wanted a talking cat, you got one!"

I began pacing, my madness reaching peak levels.

"You won't believe everything I've gone through, I've travelled back in time, been to parallel worlds, fought against an alien – sorry, that's Asakura Ryouko, by the way – even been to a world where espers can fight, you cannot imagine..."

Haruhi looked at me as if I was insane, and I couldn't blame her.

"You got your wish, Haruhi, you wanted to have fun with all those people, you've had it all along."

She felt her forehead, rubbing it roughly, "Look, even if what you're saying is true, Kyon, how – or more to the point, why – is everything or everyone centred around me?"

This was is, the big moment. That one tiny atom of doubt entered her confident tone. Her mind had now opened up the microscopic possibility of acknowledging her own powers, whatever they might be, so I wasn't going to be taking her lightly from now on.

I moved in closer, sitting back on the chair, and manoeuvred my face close to hers, whilst holding her hand gently. I had to say this the right way, not too forcefully, nor too weakly, otherwise she might automatically reject it as ridiculous. I needed her to acknowledge that this was the truth.

I made sure I had her full and undiluted attention on my eyes, her own pair showing a plethora of emotions; confusion, anger, fear, worry, and even hope. Her eyes welled up, somehow knowing what was coming next. Perhaps she had just realised it herself and was happy, or maybe she would hate herself. I don't know, but it had to be done.

"Haruhi..."

I spoke, never as serious as I had ever been in my life. With all my confidence that it was fact, I said those three profound words.

"You are God."

The effect was both sudden and delayed at the same time. Her mouth dropped, completely disbelieving everything I've been saying. Nevertheless, as those words had begun to sink in, her eyes grew larger, her irises shrinking to minute sizes.

She understood finally. She knew who she was.

I should have seen it coming, everything we've been through together has been building up to this, but it was already too late...

Haruhi was dying, and there was nothing we can do to change it.

The tears began to flow onto her face, her cheeks glistening. The eyes were both mournful, for finding out so soon and so close to her own death, but joyful at the same time, because she never knew her role in the universe.

"Kyon..." Her face was bright and cheerful, "I'm... I'm really God?"

Her typical cynical self had vanished, replaced by one of a child.

A child who many years ago felt weighed down at her own insignificance in the global scale of humanity.

A child who had not yet relied upon modern day conventions, prejudices and superstitions.

A child who just simply wanted to believe in the fantastic unequivocally.

I smiled, nodding at her, "Yes, Haruhi, you are the centre of all existence. As the saying doesn't go, 'the world revolves around you'."

I let my smile slip, knowing that these words would not mean much to her, given her current state. I tightened my hold on her hand.

"Haruhi, you are God, but you are also dying."

Her face cracked, turning to stone, as if it just occurred to her. "God... is dying?" She spoke nervously, her smile wavering at the seams, "How can that be?"

I rub my head, this was going to take some explaining. "Haruhi, the others believed that you shouldn't know of your divinity, because of many different reasons..." I listed those reasons, Closed Space, data explosions, time quakes, dimensional portals. She took this in her stride, but still seemed bemused by the whole thing. "However there was another group out there, the exact opposite to us..." I almost spit out the name, "The RIP Cartel... They believed you were God too, but that you had to die." I briefly talked about who they were in general, and the whole Order and Chaos side of things.

"They gave you the idea to die, Haruhi, and I have to recreate the world as it was before all this started."

She was stunned, the information overload reaching her brain as it shut down bit by bit. "But, I didn't want to die... I don't want to die!" She was becoming hysterical, "Why would I want to do such a thing, Kyon?"

I sighed, because sadly it was in her character, "Sorry, Haruhi, but you always liked doing things your own way, regardless of the consequences. You got in trouble with the school teachers, you annoyed the people at that shrine, and so many other things..." I shook my head, "It doesn't matter any more, the fact is that you're dying, and I can prove it..."

Standing up I held out my hand to her. Taking it, she pulled herself up, and winced. The black tar pulsed a few times in her body.

"Support yourself on me, I'm going to hold your hip okay, so don't get mad like last time."

Showing me her irritated face, she relented and allowed me to do so. I walked her to the windows, the blinds eerily dark outside. I prepared myself, holding on to the remote control to automatically pull them up.

"Haruhi, you never knew how important you are to the world, but without you, everything has gone to dust, look and see for yourself.

I focussed all my willpower on her as I pressed the button, seeing the faint light seep in from the bottom, the shadow panning up away from her face, as her eyes sparkled in wonderment.

"Kyon..."

I already saw the sight, so there was nothing left for me to see.

"I know, Haruhi, that's is what became of the Earth you knew and loved, it's no longer what you would call habitable."

"Kyon, look outside..." Her eyes were remarkable, they were twinkling in the light, "Does that look like Earth to you?"

"Huh?"

Perturbed by her sentence, I followed her gaze and my knees began to shake at the sheer impossibility of it all.

Somehow, we were no longer on the planet, our building was soaring in the sky, no I can't quite say that, we were floating in space.

What I was currently watching was the small blue and green planet hurtling around the Sun faster and faster, until it skimmed the surface of it, like a pebble on the surface of a still lake, before sinking beneath the horrific swirls of fire.

"..."

I was speechless, everything had gone, a few seconds passed and I saw a red planet follow suit, this time moving faster.

"Well, Haruhi," I spoke calmly, and gestured to the outside and to our building, "can you explain why we are still breathing in this place?"

She shook her head slowly, taking in the image. Our solar system appeared to be sucked into a black hole, the Sun slowly being syphoned off into it like an ice cream melting in the height of summer.

She began to cough more and was really beginning to lean on me. I got the message and helped her back into her bed, making sure she was comfortable.

Haruhi was quiet, but her face was screwed up in thought.

"So, I'm God." She looked at me, "You told me about the RIP Cartel, what about the rest of us?"

I took in a deep breath, no looking forwards to what was going to happen to my emotions at this point, "Asahina-san..." I choked back my anger and sadness, "She was forcefully returned to her time, a war had begun there. She left a few days ago."

Haruhi grew angrier, "A war? I should give the enemy a piece of my mind."

I smirk at her choice of words. "If you could, then things would be fixed pretty fast..." I cleared my throat and continued, "The others left a short while ago, leaving this safe haven to fight the others, I haven't seen or heard from them since."

Haruhi smacked herself on her forehead, "Kyon, I'm having trouble with this, if I'm God, why haven't weird things been happening around me since before now?"

I couldn't help but laugh to myself, "They have, all the time, but you either haven't noticed, couldn't tell, or we just simply hid them from you."

I list the many occasions which we hid from her, such as the extinct passenger pigeons coming back at the shrine during the filming. Of course she couldn't see Closed Space, nor the junk data creatures, so I could only describe those battles to her, as she watched me in both amazement and horror.

"You did see many things, Haruhi, but you never really knew what it is you were seeing."

I thought back to all those times, she saw, but refused to admit, or when we convinced her it was her imagination.

The 'Mikuru Beam', the different variants, including the laser (though Nagato gave it a long and complex name) and the micro black holes, rifle bullets and so on...  
The sakura blossoming in autumn, again during filming.  
The remarkable performance of all of us at the baseball, that time Nagato fixed the bat.  
The Snow Mountain incident.  
My frantic phone call to her about Asahina-san being kidnapped.  
The dogs being afraid of the park, and getting sick.

The quiet world she created with the Celestials, me included.

She paled, "A-All those things, were caused by me?"

I shrugged, as that was the most honest thing I could do, "Some yes, others not your fault, they were attracted to you in some form, or wanted you to react."

"Kyon..." She looked at me, "Were you ever in danger...?"

I scratch my head, thinking back, "Yeah, there were times that I could've been injured, but with Nagato and Koizumi, I was mostly safe. Lately however," I gestured to the window showing the galaxy behind me become darker, "I could've died, I suppose..."

"But..." Her eyes were miserable, and crying, "why you?"

Losing every sense I had, I laughed lightly, "Well, it's all because you chose me, a normal human, to be around you from beginning, Haruhi." I patted her hand, "You brought me into this crazy world you created and wished for."

Her mask chipped, and she began to bawl loudly, "Kyon, I-I'm so sorry..."

I nod sympathetically, "I know, Haruhi."

"I didn't want to really destroy the world, I didn't want people I... like to be put in danger!"

I knew it was hopeless, Haruhi would not be able to counteract the virus inside her, her whole being was shattering around her, she didn't know what was real or fake any more, and she doubted herself even now.

"Though you didn't wish for those things, they turned out to become dangerous later, starting out innocently, they escalated to a really bad height."

She shook her head, "If that's true, then I don't want to be God! No way in hell will I ever want something like that!"

Thinning my lips at her futility, I got up and looked out the window, seeing the galaxies become dimmer, as the individual stars were swallowed by the black holes. Despite the impossibility of seeing those destructive things, I could tell what they were.

Yet, even they were crumbling at the edges, as something else ate away at the black holes.

Death.

I looked back quickly, seeing Haruhi grow sweatier, and I hurriedly go back to sit with her.

"Haruhi, you're dying now, God is dying, and with God's death, the universe is dying too. I don't know the theory behind this, I don't even really know if you are God or not, but the facts remain. Everything is ending, Haruhi."

She had become a wreck, I couldn't control her sobbing, and her face was a mess, her hair free of ribbons it was everywhere, stuck onto her sweaty neck, tied in knots and split ends from where she lay, and looking unhealthily lighter, even the roots were changing colour to white as I watched.

Here I am sitting here calmly, as the person I l-, as Haruhi is being drained of her life force. Why am I so calm? Is it because I hate her? No that's ridiculous, I could never hate her, get annoyed and disappointed, sure, but never something as extreme as hatred.

Maybe my brain is running on automatic, I'm probably one of the last humans left in the universe, and I'm travelling through space, eventually reaching the non-space that is encroaching into the galaxy clusters.

That must be it...

There's nothing to do left, so I do what I wanted to do for a long time, since that last event, which I don't want to remember, and I push myself to do so.

I hug her.

Not just a friendly hug to a colleague, not a familial hug to my sister, not even a consoling hug to someone dying.

But something more meaningful, the hug to a loved one.

Haruhi stopped sobbing for a second before crying even harder and gripping me, bringing her arms around me and tightening as hard as she could. Even though her arms strained from the tar rushing about in her body, I could see it creeping up her neck from the back of her hospital robe.

Stroking her silky hair, I marvelled at its beauty, the scent of tiredness and hospital chemicals clung to it, but beneath all those layers was another smell, the slight muskiness of her body, reminding me of that time a year ago.

Closing my eyes, I rubbed her back softly, not wanting to hurt her ravaged body, and while not teasing or touching her in an untoward manner, I wanted to really feel her.

Closer.

I pulled her towards me, in a stupid effort to show my affection for her.

She began to cry less, and realised how I was holding her, and she held on to my shoulders, burying her face into my clothes, trying to dry her tears.

She pulled back, and I saw her staring deep into my eyes, or what it should have been...

The infinite possibilities and powers I saw within them had disappeared. All that remained now were her black obsidian eyes, staring into nothing.

Her face was unmarred, but from the inside of her skull something had seeped through.

The tar had covered her irises and pupils thoroughly.

She was blind.

This wasn't fair, I was not going to allow her to die without seeing me one more time.

"Haruhi!"

I shook her, but her tears still ran, as her voice was merely above the sound of her breathing.

"My last secret, Haruhi, you keep calling me Kyon, but shall I tell you my other name?"

I wasn't expecting a reply, knowing she was near to her last seconds.

"I am John Smith."

Instantly, the tar retreated away back inside the eyelid and away from her throat, and she could see again, drilling deep into my own pair.

The eye is the window to the soul after all.

The black substance was coming back, but slower.

Time was short.

"Kyon!"

She stared at me, her former energy and strength returning, if only for this last attempt.

"Kiss me."

Before, when I would have baulked at such an outrageous request, spluttering and calling her evil names, this time I no longer cared.

The light from outside the window had more or less flickered away, only the dredges of the universe were left against the darkness.

I accepted without words, and pressed my lips against her.

For that sole second our eyes were open, she smiled at me, her eyes mimicking the movement.

We closed our eyes for the last moments.

Savouring the taste of her lips, I probed deeper, finding her tongue and playing a solemn dance with it.

Haruhi also, ravenously, did the same, kissing with such a passion that I thought wasn't possible for a girl who was suffering so much pain.

The room around me felt colder, and darker through the thin skin layer of my eyelids.

Resolutely, I kept my eyes closed, knowing that Haruhi was doing the same.

All that we cared about, all that we were feeling, all that we wanted, was each other.

The presence of the bed left my sensations, and the chair I was on left my person.

Keeping my arms around Haruhi, I held her, kissing like I've always wanted to kiss her.

But even our bodies were growing weaker, fainter, and then I knew we were the only two things left in existence, I doubted that oxygen was here either.

Our kissing grew less heated, and soon we parted our lips, and planted our heads in the other's neck.

Though my words were unlikely to have travelled in the soundless vacuum, we were in, I spoke, knowing that these were my last words.

Pulling back slightly to give my lips space to speak, I said...

"I love you, Haruhi."

Somehow, I felt a similar reaction from her head.

But it was past the time for thinking, no time to hear the other, no time to cry, to repent.

That second, all of reality ceased.

**---  
Author's Notes**

Wow, what a finale eh? Hope you enjoyed the story, I had this planned from the beginning, though I did take the whole Earth/Sun thing and black hole/galaxy came up as I was writing. What a way to make it dramatic huh?

---

Oh, I made it sound like it was finished, huh? Well, there is a little more to go.

What else could be left, after the end of reality? You'll find out, another time...

- J

P.S. The 'Present Day' title above, refers to the first few chapters, where we were at the hospital already. Remember, this whole story was a flashback! Go back and re-read those portions with Haruhi again.


	15. Beyond the Borders of Reality

**The Death of Haruhi Suzumiya**

**Chapter 15**

**Beyond the Borders of Reality**

**Unknown time and location**

A sound.

A heartbeat, thumping slowly.

I opened my eyes, to find myself nowhere.

Blackness, everywhere. Nevertheless, despite this, I could see myself perfectly, an incongruity given the relative darkness around me. I was also standing on a flat surface. I knelt down, but could not distinguish between the ground and the air, the colour was equal, and the floor felt smooth, I couldn't place what texture it was.

"Hello?"

My voice, which I thought would be loud, was merely a whisper in the land. There was no echo, nor did it trail off into the distance. It just stopped as soon as it left my mouth, as if the air surrounding me just sucked it in, killing it off immediately.

I confirmed as well the presence of oxygen, so I wasn't going to die of suffocation any time soon.

Taking a steady step, I started walking. I wasn't that worried if the floor gave way suddenly, since I should already be dead

No change, nothing moved, I couldn't feel anything around me, the only solid truth being the ground I was walking on. I was getting frustrated at not being able to see anything other than myself, was the land really this black, or was there something holding back from my eyes to show me the world?

There was no wind or breeze, no moisture from humidity, and of course no heat from the sun, but neither was it cold.

The space felt as big as an open field, I jumped up but could not feel any ceiling within my reach, and yet it felt small and restricted in a claustrophobic way. I could be walking in a universe stretched out just like this, or simply walking on the same spot in a tiny room, there was no way to tell...

I racked my brains, trying to scientifically analyse this, but I wasn't any good at this stuff, Koizumi and Nagato would...

"Oh..."

Now that I think about it, they must be dead, or wiped, or whatever this hell is. I couldn't even pray for them, because the lack of information meant that I couldn't automatically assume them to be not alive. Koizumi was in Opening Space, and Nagato was fighting Asakura Ryouko on a data and quantum level. They might have avoided the end of all things...

I shook my head, they must have been affected too, there was no way Nagato's data manipulation abilities and the small fact of Opening Space could shield them from something as absolute as this.

Asahina-san too, the future must also be gone now, since this is the present now. Tsuruya-san was also condemned in a parallel world, since Haruhi presumably didn't just have hold on this universe solely.

I'm the only person alive, but why?

I whirled around, but still there was nothing different, I forgot the most important person, the one who caused all this, through no fault of her own.

"HARUHI!!!"

My scream was loud to me, but didn't echo, so I knew it was a lost cause, so I fell to my knees, my vision getting water from my tears.

"Gees, Kyon, you're so loud!" A familiar voice floated through my head, "I almost went deaf with that!"

Until my body recognised that it was real.

"What?"

I looked up off the floor, and found myself in a world of light, I had to close my eyes to readjust myself, surreptitiously wiping my cheeks at the same time.

As I opened them again, I found myself in an old haunt of mine.

"The clubroom..." I mumbled out loud, still unable to believe it, "Why am I..."

"I was here before you, Kyon," Haruhi was standing there, healthy as ever. Her joyous smile mirrored her body, free of the leathery tar and bundled with energy. Her school uniform was perfectly ironed, brand new, as was my own, "I wondered out of the clubroom for a moment before I heard you yell, then I came in and found you on the floor!"

"Ahh..." I was stunned, and barged past her to the window, ignoring her annoyed 'Hey!' as I stared outside.

It was a beautiful sunny day, not a cloud visible, the air was fresh, and it was my old city, the one I saw ravaged by war and nuclear explosions, on the planet I witnessed diving into the Sun.

"How...?"

"Who cares, Kyon?" Haruhi grabbed my arm, in spite of my protests, and dragged me outside into the corridor, "We're going to see it now!"

As we went downstairs, I caught a glimpse of the time from the school clock tower, stating it to be two thirty.

"But, why's no one in the school?"

Haruhi thinned her lips as we left the school gates, and went down the hill.

"Haruhi, you can let go of me, you know..." My arm was getting a cramp from being in an unnatural position for too long.

"Ahh, sorry, Kyon..." She did so, but didn't stop her march down the slope, so I followed her silently.

Soon we reached the bottom, and I already knew what was wrong.

Though the sun was in the air, and the gentle breeze kept me cool, I understood the truth immediately.

"I get it..." I had to say this aloud, though it was obvious Haruhi already knew, "We're the only ones here."

The city was silent, no cars were driving, no people in the shops, no schoolchildren on field trips, no planes in the sky.

We were alone, just like that last time.

This wasn't Closed Space like before, I didn't see any Celestials, and I knew none would come to destroy this land either.

Because everything had already ended.

"God's Space..."

Haruhi turned to me when I said that, her irises becoming pinpoints, and she darkened, finding a bench to sit down on and lowered her head.

"I remember..." Haruhi spoke, her face in shadow from her fringe, "Everything died, and we..." She paused, before speaking on, "And now we're here..."

She sighed and raised her head, only to gasp, moving her head from side to side, eyes wide. As I checked the area, so did I. Somehow, without warning, we were outside the train station, the old meeting place of the SOS Brigade.

How could me move so suddenly, in such a way that I couldn't even distinguish any form of movement, like the moving single flickering frames of a film, one frame suddenly places me and Haruhi in this place, having just been elsewhere. It reminded me of a lesson I heard somewhere about God, and scared me by its infinite use.

Haruhi is omnipresent.

"This is..." She stood up and stared at a nearby tree, putting some force in her eyes. Instantly, the leaves grew greener, and even flowers appeared on it, the fruit of the tree ripening.

She smiled widely looking at an unsightly stump of an old tree, cut down a while ago due to its roots getting too close to the road. This time, she didn't even stare hard, and again, it changed. The tree was restored to its decade old self, and the tarmac that lay over the roots was pushed to one side, making that portion of the lane curve around it.

Indeed, my assumption about this place turned out to be correct.

"I'm God..." Haruhi beamed, and ran across the empty plaza, over the zebra crossing, straight into the café we went to on most weekends.

"Haruhi, wait up!" I jogged after her, not worried that something bad would happen here, but if she suddenly vanished, having wanted to be somewhere else.

Inside, the café was as it always was. The lights were on, as were the automatic doors that let me in, and Haruhi was sitting at our window seat.

"Kyon, do you want something to drink?"

"Huh?" I looked around, wondering if someone was going to serve us, "I... uh..."

"Just sit down you idiot!" She pulled my collar down, and forced me into the booth.

She thought of something, and smiled, "I think a nice refreshing green tea is the way to go!"

"Coming right up!"

I leapt against the pane of glass separating me from the street, hearing another voice inside next to me scared the life out of me.

I watched the waitress leave and begin to prepare the tea behind the counter, still with her back to us.

"Well, Kyon, what are you going to order?"

"I... I..." Turning my attention to her, I jerked my head at the waitress, "Did you create her?"

"Not really..." Haruhi shrugged, "I just wanted a drink, and she appeared."

"Here you are," The tea was placed in front of Haruhi, and the voice was directed at me, "What would you like, sir?"

"M-Milkshake... Any flavour..."

"Okay, sir!"

It was then that the face hit me, the light green hair and demure nature.

"Kimidori Emiri-san..."

But was it her old self, the Human Interface Terminal version? I never met her after Nagato's upgrade, whereupon all the other Terminals were transformed into humans. But she did seem happy, perhaps more human in the way she spoke and acted just now, in between those moments of not speaking to people, when her expression was neutral.

"I know, Kyon..." Haruhi stared at me, into my eyes, and there I saw the true enormity of a deity, perhaps 'the' deity, "I know, everything, all that has happened in this world, in other lands, in other times..." Her eyes drew me in, and I felt like I was being simultaneously being strangled by and somehow drowning in that knowledge, though I was only exposed to a trillionth of a percent of it.

She 'knew' totality, eternity, and all that occurred within existence.

Haruhi is omniscient.

"So, you brought her back, you recreated her..." I stated, after shaking my head of the images that had flooded my brain in those scant milliseconds.

"Yep, she's back to normal, before Yuki reverted the Human Interface Terminals to the genetic structure of humans. She's the same, but more open with her emotions, because I'm not fond of her being so boring."

Haruhi spoke about the resurrection as if it were the most natural thing to her. She even changed the girls emotions, how horrid is that?

"But, why her?" Kyon stared outside, "We're in our home town, and it's still as empty as ever.

"Oh, you don't want to be alone, huh?" Haruhi gave me a gentle smile, before suddenly a cacophony of noise flooded the world.

Sure enough, the café and the streets were populated with people. Housewives doing shopping, salarymen doing what they normally do, couples holding hands, children playing. Vehicles had filled the streets, taxis, cars, trucks, even a bus. The sky now had a plane leaving contrails in the air.

I got the impression that it wasn't just this city, but the entire world. Haruhi was still glowing slightly, as I presumed she repopulated the universe, also supplying the necessary animals and creatures need to survive.

Haruhi was omnipotent.

"You wanted people, right Kyon?"

Haruhi seemed cheerful, not at the fact that they were no longer alone, but because she guessed at something I wanted.

Though she was wrong in that respect.

I was glancing over the central square, and the inside of the restaurant. It was just as it always used to be. Perfectly normal interactions that one would find in the old world.

But something was missing, I couldn't put my finger on it yet, though I knew that a little part of me was shouting at the problem here.

"Yeah, I guess..." I mumbled, realising I hadn't replied to her question.

That moment, the door to the café opened, and four people strode in, checking around for a moment, before stopping at Haruhi's waving arms. I could only tell the number from the pale reflection in the opposite glass, as my back was to the doors.

"Over here everyone!"

My heart was shredding itself with feelings, because only a very select group of people could make Haruhi act that way, but I was also getting into a stage which I considered both traumatic and elated.

Because I was going to see them again.

"You guys are late! Penalty!"

"My apologies Suzumiya-san, I will help make up our drinks fund."  
"Umm, I can do the same too, I just got here..."  
"Hahaha, well, I guess the traffics was tough, I'll chip in too."  
"Unforeseen circumstances upon departure of my home led to the unforeseen consequences of arriving here late."

I turned my head to the left, and saw Koizumi, Asahina-san, Tsuruya-san and Nagato, all standing there, waiting for us to move in further on the cushioned seat to let them sit.

I stood up suddenly, feeling my eyes water.

"Asahina-san, you're back..." She was the first to go, straight into the future, "Koizumi... Tsuruya-san... Nagato..."

One of them kept smiling, another sighed happily and shyly raising her lips, another laughed harder, and another didn't budge.

Haruhi was getting angry, "Come on, Kyon, let them sit!"

I reached out to Nagato, wondering if she was her new Entity self, or just the Terminal. Haruhi already knew about the whole ascension of Nagato, but I couldn't be certain which version she brought back.

Besides, I guessed it at an early stage of our friendship, but I really missed Nagato the most out of everyone.

The moment I made contact with her arm, my body reacted instinctively, jerking my hand away as if it was burned. I could see Nagato's eyes become slightly duller, she was hurt at that action.

However, I couldn't face them, not like this. Disregarding the scene I was making in the café, I leapt out of my booth and pushed my way past to reunited Brigade, and ran out into the street. I heard Haruhi cry out to me, but I didn't stop for a moment.

The world was different, I touched Nagato, but something was missing. The trees in the square were the same, but lacked something of importance. The people, the cars the birds, the air, the sun, the buildings, all things were complete, and yet not.

I must've ran for hours, but I couldn't be sure. I was at the park bench, exhausted, my breaths raw and pained. I was anguished at being in a place I hated.

Recalling the event with Nagato, bile rose up into my throat, and I had to run to the tree behind me, emptying my stomach onto the ground, until my dry retches made me ill. I gasped for air, and sat dejectedly on the bench, only to hear footsteps approaching my position.

"Kyon, what the hell's wrong with you?"

Haruhi had her hands on her hips, and thankfully was alone. I don't think I could face Nagato after that and remain sane.

"Haruhi..." I started speaking, as the trees bloomed, the cherry blossoms filling the lane with pink petals floating in the air. "Where are the others?"

"They're still there... I stopped everything to find you."

"Huh?" I checked the area, and found it to be like the time I went into the RIP Cartel's base.

Time had stopped, leaving us two the only one moving in this world, no, the universe.

"I couldn't just get to you, so I needed to search for you."

"I see, you weren't able to summon me, nor reach me using your powers. So you had to act like a normal human to find me..."

"What's going on, Kyon?" Her tone lost its serious edge to it, and was calmer, possibly worried?

"I don't know..." I looked up at her, "I doesn't feel right to me, this world, the people, the SOS Brigade..." I began to pace nearer to the stream where the turtle fell only a short time ago, "You brought everyone back, as they were when I last saw them, and I'm happy to see them again. But," I shook my head, unable to come up with anything concrete, "It's wrong... Maybe because I am real, as are you. You didn't create me from scratch, I know what happened before I ended up here, I know in my heart that you did not make me, like you did with everyone else."

"But... I don't understand, aren't you happy?" Haruhi's smile was teetering, she had doubts, "I mean, everyone's alive, the universe is the same. All the bad guys are gone, the Family, Tsuruya-san's sister, Asakura Ryouko, even the Sneering Bastard." She grinned wider, "Everything bad is gone, and we can live happy. There won't be any wars, no disasters, no crime, the humanity will prosper for all time." Her eyebrows tightened in the middle, "Isn't that what you want, Kyon?"

What I want?

"Does it matter what I want, Haruhi?" I was interested in her answer.

"Of course!" She was distressed now, seeing that things weren't going according to her expectations, "I can't read your mind, I don't know the things that you know, but I know everything else, I don't know your perspective, so I used my logic to come up with the perfect possible scenario for you, and what I thought you would like most of all!"

So, my mind is closed to her, that was a surprise I didn't expect to hear, she knew nothing about me, about my observations, my experiences.

And vitally, what I thought.

Things were beginning to slot into place, though I don't think Haruhi acknowledged it. When it came to me, things were different, the rules were altered.

She lost her omnipresence, so she couldn't just jump to my location in an instant.

She lost her omniscience, so she couldn't just pry into my mind and see my inner most secrets.

She lost her omnipotence, so she couldn't alter reality to make me come to her, or to recreate me near to her.

"You're not wrong, Haruhi," I honestly replied, "I do want those things, I never want to see Asakura Ryouko or the Sneering Bastard again, world peace sounds good too..." I turned away from her, "But, at the same time, I don't want them."

Haruhi was exasperated, "What? I don't understand..."

"I'm going home, Haruhi," I started walking, "The building where I live, and where my family are, in this world. I think you should do the same too, and see if you can't come up with the same opinion as me about this place." I still wasn't looking at her, "You know where to contact me, but if I go walking about, you know my mobile number, right?"

"Ah, yeah, let me make it for you..." It seems she forgot that, and my mobile phone appeared in her hand, as she gave it to me, I focussed on her hand instead of her face.

"Call me if you get bored, Haruhi, I'll be waiting."

The world unpaused itself and I walked home, leaving Haruhi presumably staring at me from the park.

**Later  
My home**

I stood outside the place I recognised as my lifelong home. Everything was the same, but there was a part that irked me, that I have yet to discover.

I went in, finding my keys in my pocket.

"I'm home!"

"Kyon-kun!"

A small bundle of energy ploughed into me, leaving me with less air in my lungs and a heavy burden on my stomach.

"Hi..." My sister was very bright, her face wide with smiles as I patted her head. "How are you?"

"Good! Miyokichi is here too!"

Uh oh... She had that sly look about her, one that belonged on a girl older than her age. She wanted to tease me, but I intercepted it quick.

"That's okay, you go have fun together, I'll catch up with her later..." My sister was disappointed, but she giggled as she skipped away to her room.

"Okay, it's a promise Kyon-kun!"

Hey, I didn't make it a real promise!

I walked through the living room into the kitchen, saying a brief 'hello' to my parents who were watching television.

Gagging, holding my mouth barely, I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, and began to gulp it down. I didn't stop until the plastic container was nothing but a a vacuum inside from my draining the liquid down my throat. Letting go of the opening, it expanded to its normal size, the plastic sides cracking as it reverted.

Oh God...

I think I'm nearing my limit already.

This world is making me sicker by the moment. Even the water tasted foul to me.

My sister, my own sister... I had the same instinctive revulsion that I had with Nagato...

This wasn't right... I was dying inside, being in this world whilst everything else was moving along as normal. Haruhi had recreated everything, and nothing at the same time.

I ran to my room, trying to avoid the outside world, and indeed the inside. However, I was not alone.

"So, how are you today? Is it not the best weather for living as a human?"

Yes, my beloved cat was here, talking as always.

"Hello Shamisen, what do you remember?"

I was not in the mood for his philosophical rambling, so I cut straight to the point.

"Last thing in my memories was the end of the world, and your sister crying into my back. Why?"

"No, I was just asking, at least you recall the last few things that happened." I rubbed my head to get rid of a headache which failed to leave me alone.

"Well, that, and the small fact that Haruhi Suzumiya restructured my body to its current form from nothingness. I am not myself, my original body having vanished at the end of the previous universe."

"Wait, you said this isn't your real body, so you know that you died?"

"My animal instincts are telling me to hunt myself, as I am both prey and predator in one body. I am unnatural, and I know this well."

"So, you mean you want to kill yourself?!" I scrutinised his appearance, noting that he wasn't moving in any threatening way. "Well, why aren't you doing so?"

"Oh, I can't kill myself, even if I wanted to. It is quite a quandary to be in, to hate the body that one possesses, despite being restored from the grave." Shamisen curled up further into my pillow as I sat nearby on the bed, "It is almost like a torture technique, one that causes continuous agony, but at the same time cannot be stopped by any means when the source is unreachable. I acknowledge it, and yet I refuse to take my own life to stop myself from feeling it further."

"But... that's horrible..." I can't even imagine it, I'm only thankful that I'm spared from this, "Can you tell me what kind of pain it is?"

"Yes," The male calico stretched his legs and plopped himself on my lap, "Simply put, this torture is your pain."

"My... pain...?" I put my hand over my mouth, as I felt another impulse to throw up.

"As the sole other original occupant of this world, your desires have also been reflected in the things that Haruhi Suzumiya created, and ironically your wishes vastly contradict her own."

"Then, what do I wish for?" I had to ask him.

"Only you can answer that question, although you have a clue from what I have already told you. Given my previous association with your person, I can tell you this, because I know who you are. The rest of the population also know that this pain is someone else's, but not who."

"That means..."

Asahina-san, Koizumi, Tsuruya-san, Nagato, Kimidori Emiri-san, my sister, my parents...

Countless people know my pain, all those who are close to me. How can I live knowing that I am slowly killing the world with my own heart?

"However, I do not believe that they all know of the last moments of the previous existence. From what little I could gather, not even your sister, who was in the protected land until the final collapse, remembers anything of that time. For all I know, I could be the only one who knows. Perhaps it is to do with my feline nature, that which contains an intelligence of a lesser being."

Shamisen purred as he began kneading my legs, a reflection of what kittens do to their own mothers to bring milk forth. I stroked him in the crook of his neck.

"I'm sorry, Shamisen, I don't want you to live with this pain..."

He stopped talking to me; whether he was just enjoying the feeling of having his fur petted or if he was angry at me, I couldn't tell, though I doubted it was the latter.

I hoped that Haruhi would call me as soon as possible.

**A day later**

I washed myself for the fifth time since arriving in this place. The disgust at the slithering slimy sensations that crawled on my skin from being in a place that gave me nightmares only hardened my posture.

"There's no way out..."

As Haruhi said, the world was peaceful, no crime was reported, no wars, no deaths other than natural causes were reported, no disease and charities were amazingly efficient, already eliminating poverty.

But there was one thing she did not control in this perfect world.

I was getting ready to meet Haruhi, who called me to the clubroom for a chat, so I was going to tell her what was wrong, I already knew by now.

**Later  
SOS Brigade Clubroom**

"What do you mean 'You don't like it'?"

I folded my arms, already expecting this irate response from our little goddess.

"Haruhi..." I stared into her godly eyes, and saw them flinch at my serious glare, "This world is incomplete."

"Huh?" She put a finger to her head, then shrugged, "Nope, you're wrong! I made sure everything is back, but there's no crime..."

"That's only a part of the problem..." I sighed and sat down, this would take some time, "You removed all the bad parts of the world, and I'll assume the universe, right?"

"Yes! Why do we need these things?"

"Have you heard the old African saying 'A calm sea does not make a skilled sailor'?" She gave me a patronising look, and I guessed that, with her encyclopaedic repertoire, she did, "Fine, tell me what it means then."

"Okay, it says that you can't learn how to be good if you don't have a difficult obstacle in the way."

I nodded, "Yes, basically, we learn from our mistakes, and how to overcome the problems in life."

"So, I took all of them away!" Haruhi beamed, then her logic faltered, casting her face to a negative light.

"Exactly, without any problems, without any hardship, how can we as humans become better than we are currently?"

"I... I'll just give them knowledge, and power, and make them better!"

I tutted at her, "In other words, you reward us for doing nothing to further our lives, instead of punishing us."

Haruhi was quiet, taking this in, "Then, I'll remove the need to become better..." Even she didn't sound confident at that suggestion.

"Well, I don't need to tell you what will happen if people can't be bothered to go to work, to eat, to live..."

Haruhi was stammering, trying to come up with something new, something different, but her universal empirical data could not provide her with the information she wanted at that point.

"Now, I think it makes sense to you, Haruhi..."

I got up and opened the window, letting the breeze in. I gestured to the city outside, speaking my true thoughts to Haruhi.

"All life on this planet is suffering, they are dying inside, knowing that there is no point to living, when whatever they want can be accomplished by a snap of your fingers, though to them it seems like they get it for free. Thanks to who I am, they are aware that things are not right deep inside themselves, even if they can't quite figure it out. Yet, by removing all negative thoughts and problems, you deny them the easiest way out of this torture, to kill themselves.

"You think you've created a perfect world, heaven for all life. In fact, you have created the opposite, a living hell. With no idea on how to kill, or how to die by accident, or even able to realise that death can arrive at any point before natural causes takes you, humanity is screaming for release.

"There is no reason why anyone should try, or strive for something, without there being some risk involved. If no one is afraid of any bad events, then won't even bother trying to make something worthwhile. Why go to work, or to school, if all there is in the end is equality for all. People want money, they grab it, they want power, they get it, they want recognition, they earn it. You can't take that away from them, that urge to actually attempt to get it on their own, or else they wouldn't be human.

"Those aren't humans any more, Haruhi, because the only thing that they are capable of is to 'exist'. Living involves admitting death could happen at any point. They are all just robots, moving from one place to another, without any goals, wishes, ambitions or dreams. Just mere shells of their former selves."

I turned to face Haruhi, my face deadly with the sadness of the situation tearing me in two.

"They're soulless, all life you created no longer has a soul. Everything I see, smell, hear, taste, touch, and everyone I speak to, each one makes me ill. My body, the only object not created by you, is rejecting this reality all because of my soul telling me not to associate with anything without one. Though I never imagined plants and even concrete buildings had one to begin with, the equivalent for them must also be missing. It might be even more correct to say that everything around us is your pet, with you being the master...

"I have to ask you, Haruhi, will you leave this world with me, and reform the old one?"

She stood there, stunned into stupor, and her face was numb from my angry outburst, fairly uncharacteristic, even for me. But, her face hardened, her eyes narrowing.

"No, I won't. This will be a paradise for everyone, for us..." She trailed off in a hopeful mood.

Gritting my teeth, and finally snapping, I lunged at the computer, grabbing the monitor and ripping the cables off. Hefting it to my shoulder, I threw it straight at the open window, and it hurled out into the air, until gravity reintroduced it to the ground, cracking the plastic shell and scattering the metal innards onto the playground.

Haruhi frowned at me, "What did you do that for, Kyon?"

Within seconds, the mess has vanished, and brand new monitor was back in the room.

"So what, Haruhi? I can break things as many times as you like, and you can't stop me..."

I did so, kicking the computer tower hard with my foot, denting and buckling the casing, whilst punching the LCD screen of the new monitor. Hitting it a little too hard, the plastic cracked and cut into my knuckle.

After the ten minute rampage, and a brief sigh by Haruhi, I felt relieved. Yes, the computer and monitor had been restored to their former selves again, but one other factor hadn't changed, or more precisely, could not be changed.

"Hey Haruhi, I'm still bleeding here..." My smile appeared.

She looked at it, her eyebrow raising, "I can't fix that, just put a plaster on it..." She held out her hand, but saw that nothing came from it, "Huh?" She had probably tried to materialise one, only to fail spectacularly.

"You see Haruhi..." I grinned happily, "You can create, fix and probably even destroy anything, however..."

I went to the table and pulled out a container and a bottle from my bag, having already come prepared.

"None of that applies to me. You can't change who I am, or see what I think, or go where I am, without lowering yourself to human standards."

I began to chew and swallow the substances straight from the cylinder, seeing her eyes grow even wider as she started to run towards me, but I'd already taken in more than enough, I opened the bottle and gave her a kind look.

"Remarkable as you are, I don't think you're a good doctor, Haruhi..."

I drank as much as I could, managing to get half the liquid inside me before Haruhi grabbed it and smashed it against the wall, the brown fluid running down to the skirting board.

"Kyon, Kyon!" I didn't reply to her, guessing that it would take a little time anyway, so waiting to reply wouldn't hurt, "KYON!"

"What?" I sat down in the chair, I was getting a little drowsy.

"Why... Why are you doing this?!" She pointed to the table and the wall.

"Haruhi..." I stroked her cheek, "You're not the only God in this world, remember? The RIP Cartel spoke about the Order and the Chaos."

I coughed once, feeling a burning sensation in my chest.

"I reject this world, you refuse to return to the old one, therefore I can only do this one thing and reject my role, by taking my own life."

The dozens of unnamed pills were spread out on the desk, as she knocked over the box holding them. The alcohol had stopped dripping down the wall, but it was going to make a nasty stain if no one cleaned it up.

"No Kyon!" She began to lift me up, "I'm getting you to a hospital, I'll get someone else to look after you."

No...

I held my hand up, and the door locked, the open window slamming shut. Haruhi gasped and released me, and for once her eyes were back to normal, the divine might behind them extinguished, and she backed against the bookcase.

I could feel my body acting weird, as my senses were beginning to become too sensitive, breaching the pain boundary.

I had finally exerted my innate command and capability. The only place I felt happy was this very room, where the SOS Brigade formed one year ago, so inside, I built it up as a base within my heart, a place to relax.

In this room, right now, I was God. My eyes felt like they were glowing, but I didn't care to use any other skills other than locking this room.

Haruhi was crying, hitting me on my chest.

"You idiot, Kyon... We were supposed to..."

"Yes, but not like this..."

I smirked, the irony hitting me harder than ever, throughout her life, she was considered to be God, and to have those strange effects around her, yet when she was dying, things were becoming untangled, and all life ceased. As I approached my own, I was gaining mine.

"The RIP Cartel were wrong in the end..." I spoke, as a speck of blood leaked from the side of my lips, looks like the drugs were working a little too well, "It looked to be that way, but it was different."

"Wh-What is it then?" Haruhi's face was wrinkled in fright at the blood.

"You are the Order. All you wished for was for things to be perfect, without conflict. Though you wanted to meet aliens, espers, time travellers and sliders, you wanted to have fun with them. In doing that, you wanted to spread the fun to the world, hence the SOS Brigade. Secretly though, you wanted to fight evil and put things right. You hated to see anything out of the ordinary, no matter how small it was, and you always tried to restore normality through your own limit abilities as a human. You would never have wanted to spread evil, which you don't consider to be fun, to others.

"I am the Chaos. It makes no sense to me, but all I can think is that this is the truth. To me, a perfect world does not exist, which I why I hate this place. When I was with the others in the clubroom, though I often moaned about it a lot, I liked the random events that occurred, and the unpredictability of it all. That is what life is about, the unknown. If we all move about knowing what will happen to us, then boredom sets in faster than you can imagine."

"Kyon... I... I can't do that... To create a place like that..."

"Yes, I know already..." I lazily closed my eyes, feeling the sleep begin to overwhelm me, "The only way to restore the universe as it was, with this indeterminable factor and also giving back the freedom of choice via the soul..." I coughed again, "You need to relinquish your divinity, and forget that you were ever God."

Her eyes widened at my correct method.

"I know this because right now, I know you, Haruhi. I can read you, like the way you cannot read me still. I have the same knowledge, added on to something you no longer possess as a person now, when you created this reality. Until you leave this land, you will be forever unable to use your emotions and ideas as a human to make any choice unrelated to me. Only as a human can you understand why this is wrong."

"Kyon, I don't want to give up... I'm God, I can do anything..."

I smiled, "Except stopping me from dying..." By now, my body was numb, my end was nearing, "This is my choice, Haruhi... You need to make your own soon..."

"I... I..." She had ran out of things to say, but I wasn't finished yet.

"You can stay here, without my presence, the pain inside everything will go. You can live happily here forever, perhaps even bringing me back as I was before any of this happened, and forget our old world."

My speech was getting slower, but I managed to force my throat to speak, "Or, you can restore the old world, and give up your mantle of God, but once you leave that plinth, you can't return to it. Sometimes, a place is better without a God to keep things in check..."

I vaguely recalled falling off my chair to the ground, my body was like a ragdoll, I couldn't feel any of my muscles, nor could I feel Haruhi hugging me like a long lost childhood toy. My eyesight was gone, and my hearing was just above the whisper level.

So, I repeated those words I said last time, with my last breath.

"I love you, Haruhi..."

And then, I died.

**One minute later  
SOS Brigade Clubroom**

Haruhi was still sitting on the floor, cradling Kyon's head lightly, seeing his alleviated expression. His last breath still hung in the air, the raw smell of whiskey coming from him. She glanced at the pill box, and saw the medical instructions that they weren't to be taken with the aforementioned beverage. The combination of the two was fatal, as expected by Kyon.

The sun wasn't shining any more, the rain was pounding the lands with a great deal of force. It spattered against the windows as the wind picked up.

She stared at his face, and once all of Kyon's powers faded from the room, lowering the dampener on her own, she poured every ounce of energy she had into herself and transferred it into Kyon's body.

The crackle of lightning and electricity flooded the room, her fiery eyes growing more and more incensed, even her hair shot hovered out in anger, the yellow glow surrounded the two of them, until the room couldn't hold it in any more, bursting out of the school through cracks in the walls and ceilings.

There was no change in the boy, his life having departed a while ago. He didn't come back in that body, nor did he heal suddenly.

Haruhi let her tears fall silently, as she put a hand over his eyelids, closing them to bring back the sense of peace Kyon had on his face. Conjuring up a coffin on the table, she made it open up, and slowly carried Kyon's heavy body up, and into the black compartment, the cushions preventing the body from scraping against the sides.

Momentarily hugging herself, a reminder of the two they shared, and to keep the small warmth remaining from his weight, she shut the coffin.

Defying the laws of physics again, knowing that Kyon's body would not work with her power, she made the coffin itself pass through the table and chairs down into the ground of the clubroom. Changing the architectural structure at the same time, the coffin lay in between floors, unable to be removed without her knowing, nor without her power.

The shadowed face of Haruhi Suzumiya stalked through the school building, as her steps grew heavier and more violent, the red tinged heels carving craters into the hard floor. Soon each step created dozens of deep cracks in the building and the foundations.

She felt her anger filter out through the corridors, as she took out her pain on the walls, punching them into oblivion, and sending ripples of crumbling sounds into the city.

The weather by now was thundery, lightning streaking down at an alarming rate. The gale force winds were ripping apart the trees and cars, sending them into nearby buildings.

Reaching the playground, Haruhi stared up at the black skies, her school uniform sticking to her body already thanks to the downpour.

Collapsing onto her knees, she covered her face as her emotions finally took hold of her, those ones she had been holding back since Kyon's death just minutes ago, having not tried to think of him since then, keeping to her divine impartial level.

Depression, sorrow, despair, hopeless, loneliness, futile, hatred, disgust, pain.

Without any more tears to shed, she jerked her head up to the dark clouds above.

Her anguished cries sent all these feelings upwards.

Reality, or God's Space, was fragmented asunder.

**---  
Author's Notes**

"..."

That's all I have to say about this chapter, it borders on the spiritual, the metaphysical, and god knows what else... Probably something aspirin-worthy no doubt from the migraine you'll develop from reading this too early in the morning...

Any plot holes about Kyon will be covered later, as I've not yet revealed all... Also let's just say there won't be one ending to this story now, I have several alternate endings in mind, and these will come first, the real ending will follow them.

Stick around folks, the best is yet to come!

- J


	16. The Life of Haruhi Suzumiya

**The Death of Haruhi Suzumiya**

**Chapter 16**

**The Life of Haruhi Suzumiya**

God coughed once and brought up blood.  
A lifeform constructed from that DNA appears.  
An effect is registered in all four of the powers that are interested in that person.  
Time Quake, Data Explosion, Closed Space, Parallel Reality.  
Its death occurs, only for it to adapt and evolve rapidly.  
Retreat, followed by saturation, then invasion, then infection.  
Opening Space.  
Parallel Dimensions shut down.  
Time travel outlawed.  
Data world amalgamated into a singular Terminal.  
The speaking cat.  
The hospital safe haven.  
The end of reality.

I wonder if I made the right choice...

**Somewhere in the city  
10:13**

I woke with a start, gasping like I hadn't taken a breath for minutes. Feeling my heartbeat slow to normal levels, I attempted to get out of bed. That was easy for me, my body was normal, I was only sleepy.

I looked in the mirror and saw my tired reflection. My bed hair stood up, so I casually patted it down. I didn't conform to any style, just allowing nature to take its course and letting gravity do its job. My fringe was fairly long, but it didn't get in the way of my eyes, though my sideburns did tickle my ears occasionally.

I got dressed, today was a school day, but I was excused from it; it wasn't the time for my everyday clothes.

Picking out my best suit, black overall, with a white shirt beneath my jacket, I put my tie on and tried to look a bit presentable. Shamisen meowed once in his sleep, having found my pillow to be comfortable once more without my head on it.

Looking myself over once more, I made my way downstairs and ate a brief meal, nothing too filling or heavy. My mother was there, having a late start to her work, and she smiled at me sympathetically, giving me a hug as I went to the door. I returned it.

Leaving my house, I saw that the sky was clear, and the sun was hot, though countered nicely by a cool breeze that refreshed me.

A black car parked in front of me on the street, and the door opened. I stepped in, nodding briefly at the person already sitting there.

We said no words as the driver took us to our destination.

It took us a little time to get there, despite there being no traffic. We were going to the outskirts of the city.

Reaching the shrine, we exited and walked up the steps, through the torii and into the main plaza. A large group was already there, all wearing similar outfits. We approached two girls who we wearing kimonos and we accompanied them inside as the bells began to toll.

It was a mixture, the ceremony, Western and Eastern cultures. It wasn't decided by us, but I personally felt that it was suited, I liked the change.

There was a lot of mumbling as the people sat down. Many prayers were said by the priests, with some melodic chanting that was emotionally evocative.

The two girls and one boy spoke briefly on the stand, and they turned to me. The whole audience focussed their attention on me as I spoke, my words already memorised.

"Haruhi Suzumiya was, to be fair, a wild and crazy girl." I smiled, seeing some people chuckle lightly beneath their hands and tears, "When I first met her, she had the worst introduction I had ever heard for a classroom. I gave it one star out of five for giving me a good impression of her, but five for both originality and attention seeking."

I looked at Koizumi, Tsuruya-san and Nagato sitting in the front row, giving them a warm, personal smile.

"Each time I tried to talk to her, she'd just shrug me off, until one day she had an idea, almost breaking my head open to tell me about it. She created the SOS Brigade, a club at our school, and from then on, she changed. Yes, she was still a bit crazy, a bit wild, but she was happier. Her smiles became real, and less forced, and she no longer sulked by herself. She had friends for the first time in her life, ones she could count on to be there for her.

"Even as we continued our school year together, she grew as a person. Though she wasn't above blackmail and a little too much coercion, she still tried to be good inside, helping out people when they needed help, and we, the SOS Brigade also helped her in these wishes. She did other things to help people, such as tutoring, which she did of her own accord.

"Despite the years of her old school, where her behaviour was a little erratic and confused everyone, she changed, and yet remained as she was. Without her wanting to, she attracted people around her, like a giant magnet. Though outwardly she forced people away with her insults and rudeness, this only made her more appealing be near, if only to see her explode with excitement over every new thing that she saw.

"To me, that is what Haruhi Suzumiya was, one of my closest friends, and a person who promised great things for the world. Like benevolent a black hole, or the Sun, those who she trusted she dragged into her, and those she didn't mind as casual acquaintances orbited around her. She was, and still is, the centre of the world to me; then again, she could be even more than that."

I stopped talking, having had to clear my throat. I saw many sad faces opposite now, tears freely flowing across cheeks and many hankies being dispensed and wiped across shining eyes.

Tsuruya-san was laughing to herself, but at the same time padding away the constant stream leaking from her eyes, which was quite heart breaking to see. Nagato wasn't moving, but the glazed look in her eyes was one I'd not seen before, as if she had locked away all her emotions to not be affected. Koizumi remained smiling, his fox-like eyes shedding small globules at the sides, which he didn't remove by any means. Next to him was a conspicuous gap, for the absent member.

I turned to the large picture behind me, taken recently on one of our outings, where she was trying make Asahina-san change into another costume outdoors. We had zoomed in on her joyous face, cutting out the rest so the frame was an elliptical shape, surrounded by white roses.

"If any of you had met Haruhi Suzumiya in her life before, I ask you to please say goodbye to her one last time. I'm sure she would appreciate it were she still here. Thank you."

I stepped down from the podium, received a subdued round of applause, as I glanced briefly behind me to the centre of the elevated stage. There she lay, in a beautifully carved coffin, her gloved arms folded just under her chest, hands interlocked, to all appearances just asleep, were it not for her slightly pale face and lack of respiratory functions.

Haruhi Suzumiya was dead.

**Yesterday**

Let me recap, since I skipped a fairly important part of the plot.

Stuck in the God's Space, with said God, I couldn't stand life any more, and took my own in front of her. I gambled hard, putting all my chips into the centre. I risked everything, the last chip being my mortal soul, the one thing she could not possess.

The only other player capable of calling my bluff, or raising the stakes, would be Haruhi herself. Only problem was, she would need to give more to the pot. She would have to descend from her divinity, to become a normal, mortal human once again. All to claim my soul back.

It was a deadly risk, one I shouldn't have taken were I thinking straight.

Yet, I wasn't normal back then. Perhaps it was because I saw all my friends lose their powers and seeing them all go off to their own battles, maybe it was seeing the Earth melt into the Sun, or even feeling Reality end around me.

Whatever it was, I had absorbed more than my fair share of depression and death around me, bringing it with me into God's Space. Feeling the death of All that was before, my thoughts were constantly on death, and I no longer could function without drifting to these sad thoughts.

Those powers, the ones I gained at the end of my life. I didn't know how I used them, but it instinctively came to me, like how to breathe, or the hunting practices of lions. It was a natural process to me, not one that seemed forced or contrived, and I was comfortable doing so.

Was I the Order, the Chaos, or neither? I couldn't tell, even then. I told Haruhi that I was the Chaos, thinking that it was true, and I still believed it even as I breathed my last.

But, I know now... The complete truth...

That's a story for another time though...

I woke up, in my bed yesterday, like nothing had ever happened. I looked outside, and the world was peaceful. My sister was happy, playing like a little girl should. Shamisen was a cat; he no longer spoke, no matter how much I tried. My sister thought I was playing a game and tried too.

But, I wanted to know what happened. I contacted Koizumi through his mobile.

I was in the car within minutes, Arakawa-san driving me to a destination I knew well, the Tsuruya mansion.

Inside, I met Koizumi, smiling right beside the Nonchalant Lady.

"Y-You...!" I prepared myself for an ambush, before Koizumi raised his hands in surrender.

"It's okay, we're not enemies any more!" Koizumi lowered his hands at seeing me relax somewhat.

He explained all, but his memories were different to my own. He left the hospital with Nagato and Tsuruya-san, only the world had not yet been through any sort of battles. It was just as if those last two day of revelations, discoveries and wars hadn't happened at all.

After entering Opening Space, both the Organisation and the Family fought, the latter having the upper hand with the ability of fireballs. After a protracted conflict, where no losses were attained, aside from a few injuries, representatives met, and decided to end the stalemate. Since both groups simply wanted to live on for Haruhi, they formed a truce, and now they are allies.

"There was no reason for us to fight, since we both believed the same thing." Koizumi went on, and the Nonchalant Lady nodded in agreement.

"My name is Tachibana Kyoko. We only fought because we were on the 'other side', with Asakura Ryouko and the others.

I shuddered, but stopped short at seeing someone else walk into view. I had little to go on, so I couldn't tell, but the eyebrows gave me a clue.

"Ts-Tsuruya-san?"

"Nahaha, yep, that woulds be me, Kyon-kun!" She waved manically.

"But... You were... your s-"

She was in front of me and put a finger on my lips, "Not another word. It's all ancient history nows..."

She pulled me into a side room and Koizumi and Tachibana Kyoko kept talking to themselves. I wanted to punch them, seeing that I was in danger here, as I couldn't tell still who I was dealing with.

The door closed and Tsuruya-san began laughing, a little too evilly for me. I backed away, but it was no use.

"Kyon-kun," Her face was sad, removing the tension in the room immediately, "My sister is dead..." She pulled up her sleeves and revealed horrific scars that ripped through her flesh, they looked to be caused by human nails, and other sharp objects, "We travelled through a dozen realities, but these weres the worst of the dimensions. I've seen things no one should ever see; past the events horizon, a dark, silent version of our city filled with demons suffering, a worlds of unspeakable cth-something-or-other..." Tsuruya-san shuddered, "My body held these wounds, from all of the worlds, but my own sister caused most of thems. She died, thinking that she was invincible enough to pours all of the dark energy into her own body, and shots the combined portal into herself, to feed herself power to kills me."

Tsuruya-san moved to the window and looked out, "Billions of them... Demons, twisted humans, agony, hellfire, Cenobites, fought inside her body, killing her froms the inside, refusing to work together. Her lasts choice was to smile..." She closed her eyes, "She was bleeding, her sweat glands bled out, and she handed me the timer, saying this was my punishment. I fireds the last portal and escaped."

"And... where did you end up?"

"Here. Right outside my home..." Tsuruya-san breathed in sharply, "She wanted me to sees her death, the hatred she held for me untils her body couldn't take it any more. She left the image ofs her suffering to be my last memory of her." Tsuruya-san had a tear forming, but I quickly quelled it, thinking up something on the spot.

"You could be wrong Tsuruya-san, maybe your sister didn't want that to be for you..." I came up with an idea, "She gave you the timer in the end. She could've left you to die there, once the demons and whatever came out for you, and you would've died too."

She didn't seem that convinced, "But, she feds herself to the evil, to punish me!"

I shook my head, coming up with an alternative, "No, it was more likely to punish herself, for all the things she did back then all those years ago. She wanted you to see what she went through, and she could have been trying to protect you from the beasts there. In the end, she apologised to you by keeping the evil inside her so you could get away in time."

Tsuruya-san stopped moving, her mind working, "It... It can't be that..."

I was satisfied, though I wasn't sure if what I said was right or not, it gave enough to cast some doubt inside her mind. I left Tsuruya-san to her own devices, to let her heart decide the truth.

I waved goodbye to Koizumi and Tachibana Kyoko, knowing that there was still someone left to see.

**Thirty minutes later**

Inside the sparse apartment, I sat opposite Nagato, sipping some of the green tea she made for me.

I was waiting for her to begin her story, so I kept drinking until she was ready.

Four cups later, she started.

"I engaged Asakura Ryouko into a battle using Earth as the template for my data manipulation requirements. I avoided affecting cities and other locations where humans, developed or otherwise, resided. Keeping to the isolated regions, I established forcefields and containment barriers to access attack protocols.

"However, Asakura Ryouko possessed the full strength of the Macrospatial Quantum Cosmic Existence, and likewise performed her own means of defence and offence. I was subsequently forced to take alternative actions, due to the nature of her quantum particle-based power.

"While the details do not matter, as they would be far too complex to describe in human terms so that you may understand, in the end overall Asakura Ryouko was defeated succinctly, the Macrospatial Quantum Cosmic Existence deleted permanently by me."

I sighed, "That's great news Nagato, now I'll never have to worry again about her."

"Oh really, Kyon-kun?"

I paled, and backed away against the wall behind me, spilling my tea on the floor, as Asakura Ryouko, with a foul expression, strutted out of the kitchen directly behind Nagato. I looked at the tea seeping into the tatami mat and felt a deepening horror envelope me.

Her smirk grew bloodier, her fangs showing more, "That's right Kyon; you're going to die again, but this time, a little more subtly. Poison is great on humans."

I started coughing and sticking my fingers down my throat, trying to bring up the tea, but I knew that it would be too late.

Nagato spoke calmly, "I removed the poison the instant it was applied to the tea. You need not worry."

I stared at her incredulously, "Nagato, I thought you said she was dead?!"

She spoke back, "That is incorrect. I stated that the Macrospatial Quantum Cosmic Existence had been deleted."

"But you said that Asakura Ryouko 'was' that enemy now."

"Yes, however, without the opposing force, the being known as Asakura Ryouko was now a faulty Terminal, and as such I switched her genetic code to that of a human. The person before you is now completely human."

The look on the blue haired girl's face didn't abate one bit, "But, she could still try to kill me! Knives are still possible."

Nagato shook her head, "She will never harm you, I will make certain of that." Entity Nagato declared in her full regalia, "I have placed various inhibitors around Asakura Ryouko, and for the rest of her natural life, she will forever be unable to kill or harm anyone else without prior lethal provocation, be it through deleting items or poison, restricting body strength, or through protecting others in the extreme case."

"And thanks to my little sister here, I'll be babysat by her forever." Her growl came through her lips as she flung a household fork at me, only for it to become a daisy as it landed on my forehead.

"Ah, Nagato, are you sure this is a good idea?" I kept one eye on Asakura Ryouko, not trusting her in the slightest, now that she seemed to be more overtly used to displays of violence.

Nagato nodded once, "Yes, I have guaranteed your safety, and that of your family and friends. Asakura Ryouko is my responsibility now, and she will never be able to harm anyone again. That, I promise you."

Her blink reassured me immediately, and I stood up bowing once to Nagato.

"Thank you, Nagato. I'm in your debt."

"No..." Nagato got up, and bowed to me, "It is you who I am in debt with, for releasing me."

I didn't say anything more, just smiling at Nagato.

I left quickly, not giving a bow to the other girl in the room, who I think was searching for more cutlery in her pockets to attack me with.

**Outside  
Ten minutes later**

Upon waking up in this world, I knew that I remembered all that was before it changed to this one. But the main fact hadn't struck me yet.

Haruhi Suzumiya was dead.

I went direct to the hospital where she lay, and after requesting to see her from her parents, who were understandably inconsolable, I went into the morgue, where a sole body lay, a plain white sheet covering all but the head.

I knew that she was dead; there was no semblance of life in her, as if all that remained was stale air, the smell of chemicals and a clinical cleanliness made me ill. I could see the tar just at the edge of her neck, reaching to her throat, and I knew that if I pulled back her eyelids, that they too would be clogged with the velvety black substance.

Though it went against procedure, her body was untouched and no blood or fluids of any kind were taken from her body, as done in normal deaths in preparation for a funeral. There were fears of the disease she contracted spreading further from her body, so she was free of any invasive procedures, aside from cleaning up her face.

And she was beautiful.

Her face was perfect, not a sign of pain in it, even the faint traces of a smile at the edge. Just as if she were having a nice dream, she lay there.

I had no idea... I thought that she would be back, alive once more. My gamble turned out to be too risky.

Perhaps, it was impossible for Haruhi to just step down like that. It could have been like a cliff edge to her, the gap between the level of God and human too much pain to bear.

Or maybe, there was no lower level to go to. Maybe it wasn't like the evolution of man, whereby we grew from apes. God could be unique in the sense that it did not begin from anything, which does correspond to the meaning of God. So if God could not become human, that was because God was special and thus did not contain any previous existence to revert to, like a human becoming an ape once more.

Therefore, all that remained was death, the end of Haruhi.

I stroked her willowy hair, the ribbon still tied up above the fringe somewhere. It ruffled softly and resumed its old position when I removed my hand.

I clenched the sheet tighter, and bit my lower lip.

Breaking down, I cried over her body, apologising over and over...

**Present Day**

I found out later that Haruhi had made preparations for her funeral, speaking to her parents one day they visited her in hospital. She'd requested us to speak for her, with me last. So I did so in her name, her last wish.

I sat down next to Nagato, as I was sitting in the aisle of the front row, and watched as people lined up to pay their last respects to her.

I felt a light touch on my left hand, as if a fly had landed there. Twitching my hand to jolt it away, I instead experienced the feel of another hand on top my own. I looked down, and found that to be true, only it didn't add up, since it was connected to Nagato's arm, then her shoulder and body. I looked up at her face questioningly, and she turned her head to me, those eyes expressing feelings as she spoke.

"Your speech about Haruhi Suzumiya was very accurate. You captured her actions and described her perfectly." She paused for a moment, as if trying to taste the words coming out of her mouth, "I found it..." A full five seconds passed as the right word came to her, "touching..."

I smiled at her, "Thanks Nagato, I was worried it was a little too much. You put my mind at ease, since if you liked it at least, then it must've been good."

She removed her hand and sat patiently as the people filed by. I slowly began to recognise a few of them, Okabe leading our class bit by bit

The girl members of ENOZ, the band Haruhi helped at the festival. They're making a name for themselves now in the music industry, having already gotten a record contract and a single in the works. I think they'll do well because of Haruhi's help getting them some much needed attention. They were crying fully and holding on to each other for support.

Thee Computer Research Society President walked by, his other more nerdy looking members with glasses close behind. What was odd about it was his face, he seemed torn apart, just looking at her face was making him whimper, and I don't think it was to do with the old blackmail. I might just return the computers Haruhi took from them, it's only fair...

The Student Council Chairman came up, his glasses askew to one side. He out of all the people might be the most affected, since his act has no reason to be continued, so his livelihood for the future will be considerably reduced. Not bothering with pretending any more, his face was crewed up, but with mild annoyance, surprising the students who always saw him as cool, calm and collected.

Kimidori Emiri-san glided by, her impassive face giving away nothing, I didn't know what she was like inside, had her emotions changed? I might have to ask Nagato that later.

My sister accompanied by Mori-san and Arakawa-san were next, Mori-san picked her up earlier before I left with Koizumi and Arakawa-san. Close behind them was Bespectacled Boy, the one Haruhi tutored on occasion, and oddly Tachibana Kyoko. My sister was honest and bawled like a baby, whilst Mori-san held her hand, soothing her. The young well-spoken boy came up to her and whispered something, holding her other hand. My sister looked at him and stopped sobbing as they walked up to the coffin. Tachibana Kyoko remained near Arakawa-san throughout, not saying a word. The Tamaru brothers had also appeared, and took their time moving to the coffin.

Taniguchi and Kunikida came up, and like the other normal students here, who only knew Haruhi as an acquaintance, they were rightfully sad, but at the same time unsure of how to act. Should they be distraught, or taking it calmly? Taniguchi, for what it's worth, was quite depressed. Knowing him, he may have still held a torch for her, as Kunikida was consoling him.

I shirked back as the solid, yet frozen stance of Asakura Ryouko stalked by, her eyes boring into my own. As the saying goes, 'if looks could kill...', and the only things I saw in those eyes were untold hurt for me. Saying that, when she saw Haruhi's peaceful face, she surprised me by actually showing genuine sadness at a fellow student passing away, the person she wanted to get a reaction from. Whether it was a remnant of her Interface Terminal programming, or if she merely good at lying, I could not tell. I hoped deep inside that even someone like her would be affected by Haruhi's death.

After her parents said goodbye, it was our turn. I let the others go first, allowing them to have a private moment with Haruhi. Walking up to her a minute later, I saw her soft body, still, in the padded interior of the coffin.

My back was to everyone, and I knew that by now the entire congregation was looking at me. After that speech I gave, everyone probably believed that I was in love with Haruhi.

That was wrong, as always.

Yes, Haruhi was close to me, but it all clicked into place for me a while back.

I loved her, and at the same time, it wasn't love.

Did I love Haruhi as a person? Not really... I liked her a lot, that much was certain. As much as close friends care for each other, and worry about everything dangerous they may do. That was full extent of it.

But this wasn't love for a human.

It was the love for God.

I didn't fall in love with Haruhi; it was just that being near her meant my soul wanting to join with God, to fulfil a longing inside my body to meet with my creator. The love of divinity. It was an unconditional love, one I could not control, nor resist, hence Haruhi's strange ability to bring people close to her. Deep down below the subconscious level, the souls of all these people knew what Haruhi was, and so they didn't want to lose that connection with her, no matter how small it was.

For me as a person, as a mortal, human, I knew now that I was in love with someone else. This was a more physical love from my heart, and I could give it to anyone I pleased. The love of humanity. However, I had already reserved it for someone I had yet to confess to. If I ever get the courage to tell her, I hope that she would accept it for what it is...

As I stood there over her body, I had no tears to shed, since I used them all up that time in the morgue. I reached out to touch her interwoven fingers, and clasped my hand around them.

"I'm sorry..." I apologised one last time, trying to hold back my sadness, "I'll miss you, too much... I hope wherever you are, you're happy." I let go of her hands, "Goodbye, Haruhi."

I faced the people and started walking back to my seat in the front row.

Only for a loud, sharp intake of gasping breath to startle everyone.

**---  
Author's Notes**

Please don't spoil this chapter in the reviews! I want it to be a surprise for people.

I know I promised you alternate endings first before the real one, but after thinking about it, it doesn't make for a professional story, and the true ending is diluted in its effect by having others nearby. I may choose to write them in a separate story, but I'll do that later...

So, a lot of surprises in this one, should keep you entertained for a short time. This was originally supposed to be one chapter, but now I've decided to split it in two, so this is the first half. The second half will be followed by the epilogue, and this story will finally be over.

- J


	17. The Apotheosis of

**The Death of Haruhi Suzumiya**

**Chapter 17**

**The Apotheosis of...**

**The next day  
School**

Well, as things worked out, it couldn't have gone better.

Yes, the loud rattling noise of someone sucking in a life-giving breath as if they had just swum to the surface after having visited the legendary city of Atlantis came from only one person in that large room.

A person that shouldn't have had any breath left.

I was the first there, as the coughing grew then dissipated. As I cradled the person's head, the eyes opened and the first thing they saw was me staring into them with a look of intense worry and hope.

"Hey, Kyon..." Haruhi smiled, her perfect brown eyes free from the tarnish of the black tar. 

I helped her up, as her body was still supple despite having been dead for a day, which people thought was a side effect of the disease. Jumping out of the coffin on her own, she stared in wonder at the inside of the shrine, then back at the photo frame and where she had just left from. She added up the numbers in her head and came to the only logical conclusion.

"Oh... Hi everyone! Sorry for worrying you..." She waved happily.

She hadn't realised what she unleashed, until throngs of people simultaneously cried, fainted, screamed, ran away, or ran towards her.

Suffice it to say, we left her to it, as she marvelled over the imaginary journey back to life, fighting Lord Enma for her soul, travelled hundreds of miles in a day, to reach the golden gates and burst out from them.

Funny as it was that she just combined several religions into one go, everyone lapped up the story of her resurrection, and she revelled in the attention. 

Which brings us to today, a normal day of school for us, despite the miracle yesterday, which turned out to be a Sunday; after all the temporal woes I've had, it feels good to know what day it finally is. I was bored in my lesson as always, Haruhi staring out of the window; her boredom was contagious. Okabe paid a little more attention to the girl behind me, as did the rest of the class, but I seriously doubted that she was just going to die again on us. 

Although, it could just be fear. If someone you knew was dead for a full day, only to spring into life at her own funeral, wouldn't you be freaked out? I was, but to me, such things are normal, so I no longer am affected by them.

Haruhi, after her recovery, was fairly quiet, she didn't declare it to the world, nor did she try to start a new religion with herself as the messiah, though Haruhiism does have a nice feel to the name. In fact, she was introverted, and didn't really talk to anyone, much like her first days at school, except without the one sentence insults as a reply to an enquiry. I can't understand her mood, so I need to ask her when the time is right.

**Lunchtime**

As the bell went, I saw Taniguchi run out of the room at top speed; I guessed he had somewhere to go in a hurry. The class rep stared at me, her smile seemingly innocent to everyone around us, but I knew that right beneath that surface laid a great deal of anger. 

Asakura Ryouko came towards me, her eyes closed in amusement, as a dozen projectiles aimed towards me. Whatever they were, I failed to notice, but they all became red roses as they landed on my desk weakly. Gritting her teeth briefly, she turned and stalked out of the class, her female admirers following.

Kunikida saw this display and whistled, "Hey Kyon, looks like you're in there with the class rep. She must have lots of feelings for you." 

I gazed up at him, my face not mirroring his jealously. He didn't know that the only feelings Asakura Ryouko had for me were that of mutilation or hurt. Though the roses were pretty, I inwardly swore, thinking that Entity Nagato did this as some sort of joke since a dozen red roses are a symbol of love. Picking them up, I threw them straight into the bin, where I knew Nagato would change them back to their original form when no one was looking. 

Picking up my lunch, I made my way outside to sit in the sun. I had lots to think about.

I had achieved a lot in the past fortnight. I had seen too much, and I'm still alive.

Haruhi died, and came back to life. 

The last play from that gamble of mine came in the speech I made yesterday. 

From what I knew about Haruhi, her past was a big mystery since there were many gaps she left out. The one story that struck me was the stadium story, about how she was a tiny individual in the world. To me, this had two meanings, the most important one being how her efforts and struggle were insignificant on a global scale, and how small she really was in comparison to greater people. 

The other interpretation of this was that she wanted to be recognised, acknowledged, and generally, known. So, what better way to be remembered than at a funeral, where everyone who knew Haruhi came up to say goodbye. Although I didn't expect her dramatic recovery afterwards, I thought that it was the least I could do for the girl.

Though she wasn't worshipped as a god, in a way, having everyone come up to her and see her dead could have made her feel like one. In the end, I'll never know how she managed the transformation; it could even have been a requirement to first die as God and then to be reborn as a human.

The official cause of her 'death' was that the tar, or the dark matter as that scientist called it, had generated a temporary death of the body; a form of stasis wherein all bodily functions ceased and yet not move towards later stages such as rigor mortis, something like this was not totally unheard of, but it was rare. Seeing as the tar itself had disappeared completely from her body made the hypothesis easier, since without it, Haruhi was alive, and there was no other way of analysing it further.

I haven't really spoken to Haruhi after yesterday, she was always surrounded by doctors, family and other people. I wasn't trying to avoid her, I just felt that maybe she needed a little privacy after all that happened. I had the faint impression that she no longer remembered anything about that other world, or even the end of our conversation in the previous reality. I'm positive she would've run to me and ask about everything again. 

Until she does that, which may never happen, I won't tell her about it again, as I'm sure the rest of the SOS Brigade will do too.

I had time to think about the death of Haruhi, and the events preceding it. I had critiqued all the information I gained from God's Space, and more importantly, my last five minutes of life there.

I thought for a long time I was the Order, but at the last point, I believed myself to be the Chaos. 

Bu the truth was far simpler.

I was human.

Completely normal in every way and I have always been that way since my birth. 

Haruhi was different, special one can say. Was she born as God, or did she evolve into it? Nobody knows for certain, even me. However, she strived to make connections to other people, to gain at least one person she could inwardly call a friend, though she would never say it out loud. 

And then she found me.

That was when strange events began to occur one after another surrounding the SOS Brigade. Apart from that one event four years ago, which alerted all the interested parties, now was the time of her abilities to really kick in. We all assumed it to be her hyperactivity and overall joy at creating difficult situations.

It turns out she made a connection, with me. 

How it formed, I can't say. Even our early conversations weren't signs of anything big, though she did begin to open up to me. Her insults and sudden endings of conversation continued for a time, and I didn't really bother trying to get her to speak to me more. I guess that her opening speech did attract me to her, like a meandering moth to a white flame. With her sitting behind me, even after the classroom was rearranged, my fate was to be in communication with her.

It must have been the moment I suggested something even God hadn't thought of, forming a club of her own. That was the first time I saw her truly happy smile, after giving me the mild concussion from slamming the back of my head into her desk.

From then on, things escalated. From acquiring the literature clubroom from Nagato, to abducting Asahina-san, and hiring Koizumi into the club. The later arrival of Tsuruya-san, after the Snow Mountain incident, only made things a little bit livelier. Naturally, I'm including all the crazy stuff that went on between us as a whole, to the stuff we tried to hide from her, the stuff that was involved with her, and the stuff that affected an individual from our group.

That link, it had served to be the catalyst to each disaster that befell us. In a way, just by speaking to Haruhi, I had been the reason for the end of reality, all because of one suggestion I made to her. 

So, the answer was obvious about what had happened.

I had borrowed her powers.

Not on purpose of course, as I had no purpose in needing them, there nothing much I wanted aside from slightly better grades, and a little less chaos from Haruhi.

Throughout my life, I had never displayed anything to the extent that I showed in God's Space. 

But then I recalled one time that may have contributed to that effect. 

The first kiss I held with Haruhi, in the Perfect Closed Space that not even Koizumi could enter properly. That sole kiss must've triggered something inside her to wish for the old world back, and it was me who wanted it most.

My second kiss with Haruhi was in Room 42, of the hospital. 

Reality was gone, and all that remained was us. I kissed her because of the love I felt for God, and the fear of losing Haruhi at the same time.

So from there, God's Space was created; there was a real god there, and Haruhi was alive, just as I had asked for.

As you know, things went wrong there, and the moment Haruhi tried her three powers on me, omnipresence, omniscience, and omnipotence to try to take me somewhere, heal me, and create something, that's when I became God.

Just for a few scant minutes, but that was all I needed. I didn't ask for them, nor did I force or trick her into giving them to me. It simply transferred all her powers to me for a short time, the time in which I ensured that she could not interfere in my death, the thing I wanted most of all…

Back then, when I locked the door and window, it felt like I was using another sense of my body. Trying to feel for it now was futile, since I was no longer God.

I noted that I was smirking, and I knew why. I had obtained the power of God through two kisses, instead of some arduous series of tasks, it was that simple. However, those kisses were made in the direst of times, and I was more or less pushed into the first one.

I had finished my lunch without my knowing of it, and so I stared up at the sky, a few passing clouds overhead signalling the fact that it would be getting windier later.

So, everything was over finally, I had solved all the problems remaining. There were no more enemies, just allies or crippled in strength. Haruhi was alive, and most likely human. I was alive and back to normal too.

Everything was right with the world.

**4pm  
SOS Brigade Clubroom**

I opened the door, only to get an elastic band in my face, stunning me enough to drop my bag.

"You're late! There's your penalty!" 

Brigade Chief Haruhi berated me from her throne behind the computer screen. How did she hit me so accurately? 

I could sense a welt forming on my cheek when the rubber hit me, and growled inside, only to smile, "Sorry, Haruhi, I was waiting for someone to -GAH!"

Two hands encircled my neck from behind and started to squeeze, only they didn't have any power behind them, and barely pushed my skin inwards, Koizumi and Tsuruya-san stared in horror as Haruhi raised an eyebrow. Nagato in the corner flicked a page in her book. 

The funny part was that I found it amusing now, and laughed it off, "Asakura-san, can you let me go now?"

The blue-haired girl grumbled and did so, still keeping her face neutral, but smiling in front of the others. Haruhi stood up.

"Asakura, why are you being so friendly to Kyon?" Her voice was suspicious.

"Oh nothing, I just thought I haven't paid much attention to him since my transfer back from Canada." She lightly tapped my shoulder and slammed her fist into my head, again coming out as a feeble tap, "I never thanked you for trying to find me after my previous transfer, Suzumiya-san, but as you can see I'm alive and well."

Haruhi beamed back, "Nothing to it! It was just weird you left so fast, like you vanished off the planet!"

Asakura Ryouko's smile remained fixed as she looked at the others, "Well, I said hello to you all, so it's time for me to go home now. See you later!" She waved to everyone in the room and walked down the corridor, only for her to glare at me in the privacy of the hallway. Feeling chills from her dagger-like stare, I came into the room and closed the door behind me.

Haruhi put her hands on her hips, "Kyon, is there something you need to tell me?"

I lazily put my bag beside the chair I was going to sit on, as Koizumi pulled out a board game for us to play. I chose to answer as I always do.

"Huh? What're you talking about?"

She rolled her eyes and pointed behind me at the door, "I mean Asakura! I saw her give you flowers a few times today, are you trying to charm the class representative for devious reasons?"

"Wha-? No! Why would I do such a thing?!"

She folded her arms, not convinced, "Mmmhmm, riiight..."

I turned to Koizumi for help and he shrugged helplessly. Tsuruya-san was out of the question as she started laughing again. Nagato also was too into her book, turning another page.

I looked up at the room, the place where I died, this very seat. I didn't really want to think about it any more; I'm not suicidal, nor have I ever been. I was possessed by the death of reality last time, so it didn't count.

It was a fact that no one else alive knew that I died of my own free will, nor that Haruhi sacrificed her godhood willingly to become human again.

The knowledge that you are god doesn't automatically make things easier, or better. In a way, we are all gods of our own world, the one in which we interact with on a daily basis. We can choose to live happy, to study hard, to work for more money, or we can do the opposite, take drugs, kill people or get into serious debt, perhaps not in that order though... 

Despite the latter options aren't beneficial for society, the freedom of choice, free will, is what is important, and knowing that we are the only ones that can make ourselves do things is what makes us who we are.

As the afternoon sun grew orange and then red, Koizumi and I playing a game of Go, which despite my having no experience in, I beat him easily, time passed by peacefully. Tsuruya-san was laughing at some silly comedy from a video website, you-something or other, on one of the donated laptops, Haruhi just mindlessly surfing the web, probably for other unusual phenomena, and Nagato reading quietly.

Closing her book, we pack away our things and left the school. 

No, things weren't back to normal. Back in the room, I felt something was missing, my throat was parched, and there was still the sense of a lack of real fun and games.

My mind drifted back to a statement someone said a while ago. 

"You have to make a choice..."

I stared at the school gates, still in the playground as everyone walked on forward, only for Haruhi to stop and look back in confusion. 

"Kyon, what're you doing standing there, come on!" I didn't move, so she came running over to me, "I'm not having any Brigade member get all lazy like you, so speed up, okay?"

She dragged me by the arm, walking off a slightly faster pace, and I acquiesced to her demand, only to speak up.

"Haruhi..." I gave her a wistful smile, "Don't you think it'd be nice to see Asahina-san again?"

I never found out the cover story behind the time traveller's disappearance, but I didn't matter anyway.

"What? You mean she's gone somewhere?" Haruhi frowned at me, "I thought she was just ill for a few days..." She grinned at me, believing me to be stupid, "I know why you want to see her again, Kyon..." Those eyes scared me as she tightened her grip, "The maid outfit, huh? Perhaps I should make you wear it!"

Oh, please, no!

Her evil chuckle sent shivers through my muscles as we joined the others. 

**20 minutes later  
The park**

Leaving the others at the base of the hill, I made for the train station and headed straight for the park bench, and I sat. Rarely a couple would walk by and see me sitting here alone, taking up the whole bench, frowning and then moving on to find another one for themselves. My bag was resting on it in such a way to show that the other part of it was reserved.

Sorry everyone, but I was saving it for someone else.

"Kyon-kun?"

My heart jumped, hearing that nostalgic voice, though it had been barely a week...

I turned to the left to see someone move into the light of the lamppost, the pink hair and diminutive figure shivering in the cold. Her uniform was torn in a few places, and I saw bandages beneath them. I stood up to face her.

"Asahina-san..." I kept my cool as she walked closer, stopping a metre away from me, "Welcome back..."

The instant hug she gave me drew surprise from me and my lungs as she cried into my shirt, saying my name constantly. I lightly returned it, glad to see and smell her strawberry shampoo again.

"Are you okay, Asahina-san?" I gestured to her to sit with me.

"Y-Yes..." She held her left arm up to her ear, "The future is safe now, the Time Plane Construction Devices were reprogrammed somehow. A sudden failure of the encryption software allowed the Master Time Plane Destruction Device to restore the previous functions."

I shook my head, not needing these details at this time, "I didn't mean that, Asahina-san, I'm talking about you."

"Ahh..." She looked down at her uniform, "I'm well, just a few cuts and bruises. Everyone kept me safe from the battles; we hid in some bunkers and had little to live on."

"That's good to hear." I gave her a warm look, "You missed a lot here... I don't know if you know by now." 

She shook her head, her pink hair fluttering cutely side to side, "No, but I can find out from Koizumi-kun, Tsuruya-san and Nagato-san."

I nodded in reply, only for her to get up suddenly, "I need to get home now, I have to update everyone back home about this trip." She bowed lightly at me, "I'm happy to see you again, Kyon-kun..." Her shy smile was a pleasure to see, and I waved to her as she skipped off home.

"So, I take it everything worked out for you, right?" I spoke to the darkness behind me.

Footsteps on grass moved onto concrete, as a grown woman sat next to me.

"Yes, they did, all thanks to you, Kyon-kun..."

I turned to face her, only to be shocked.

Asahina-san (Big) was different, her bubbly persona was replaced by something jaded and scarred mentally. I could see faint scars on her arms; in the same places my Asahina-san had the bandages. She also wore a dark skin tight material covering the majority of her body, something of a cross between military-grade armour and something from a poorly made porn movie, as it left very little to the imagination.

"I didn't do much..."

"No." She stopped me and placed a hand on my shoulder, "You made a choice, to allow time travel again, through Haruhi Suzumiya. Without your intervention, the decryption would never have happened, and we would not be having this conversation. Your choice also allows us to travel back to before Haruhi Suzumiya created the Time Quake four years ago."

I stared at her face, feeling sorry for what she had been through. If I thought she was manipulative before, giving me those letters to protect my Asahina-san, then all that pent up anger had evaporated. I didn't want to see her so upset and haunted. Tsuruya-san had the same look when she thought no one was looking, no doubt recalling her sister.

"I'm sorry, Asahina-san..." I took her hand from my shoulder and held it on the bench, laying them between our bodies, "I... I was angry at you, for so long..." I closed my eyes and sighed, "I don't know what you've been through, but..."

"It's okay..." She smiled, the first time her mood lifted tonight, "You don't need to apologise," She pulled away from me, "I suppose it was my destiny in a way, penance for treating you like a pawn back then, just to make the future stable." She held her own arms and shut her eyes tightly, "I deserve every one of these scars..."

"So, the Time War... Is it over?"

"Yes..." She returned to her professional state, "My Master TPDD overwrote the programming in the TPCDs, restoring time travel to all. The funny side effect was that all who were part of the rebellion against time travel could no longer use their own ones. It was as if the TPDDs now were sentient enough to prevent anyone who planned to use them for evil purposes."

"And what about 'him'? The Sneering Bastard?"

Her face clouded over, "He sent an army after me, they were eight foot tall each, and I think they were each called Tanaka... They were cybernetic organisms, and we lost too many people to them..." She started crying, "I had no option left... I killed him, in the worst way possible... I sent him into Void Space..."

Her racking sobs were distressing, so I tried to hug her, clumsy as I was, but it was no use, she wouldn't calm down.

"And, what is Void Space?" I asked, knowing the answer.

She sniffed once, confused and looked at me, "C-Classified Information."

I smiled at her, and she chuckled at my joke, wiping her own tears away.

"I won't ask any more, Asahina-san..." I stood up, and she knew that the conversation was over.

"I understand, knowing too much about the future can hurt you..." She agreed with me, but she was a little disappointed that the meeting was ending so soon.

I turned away and walked, only to pause and look back, "Will I see you again?"

Giving me her special smile, she winked, "Classified Information."

Returning it, I walked away, knowing that she would be back.

**The next day  
4pm  
SOS Brigade Clubroom**

"So... We're going to try these on now!"  
"Kyaa! Noooo!"  
"Nahaha, come on Mikuru! It'll be funs!"  
"..."

Koizumi and I were busily distracted by staring out the opposite corridor windows, having the background noise of the clubroom behind the locked door.

"By the way, I thought you should be the first to know," Koizumi started an unnecessary conversation, "Tachibana Kyoko is going to transfer to this school, and she'll be in my class."

"Is that so..." I knew it was a useless statement to make, "Any reason why?"

"Well, ties between the Organisation and the Family have to be strengthened somehow, so we are having them cooperate with us, and vice versa, by being in direct contact with the opposite party for as long as possible."

So in other words, you pair up with someone, right?

Koizumi nodded, "After Suzumiya-san returned from the dead, Opening Space disappeared, and no more Closed Space has been reported since. The Celestials were also not present in the final battle, which means that Suzumiya-san may have achieved stability."

"I suppose that is good news..." I remarked with boredom, yawning loudly. 

My back was beginning to hurt from not sitting, what was taking them so long?

"Okay you guys, you can come in now!" Haruhi yelled.

I stopped at seeing the three girls, naturally excluding Nagato, wearing something new.

Not really knowing how to react when I see three beautiful girls wearing gothic maid outfits, the black with white trimmings made my male hormones react badly.

"Ahh..."

I held my nose for a second, before leaving the room to run to wash my face.

**That Saturday  
The café**

Wallet drained, having been late again, Haruhi hold out familiar sticks. 

"Okay, we'll split up into two groups today, and be sure to report anything strange!" She gave me a peculiar gaze as we pulled one out. Oddly enough, only two of them out of the six were marked. "Huh? There should've been three! Oh well... Right, Kyon, you're with Yuki, and don't give me any rubbish, I want you to find something this time, no excuses!"

Leaving the cafe, Nagato and I were headed past the park to her favourite hideout, the local library. She had brought her library card with her this time, so if she chose to take some out books it wouldn't be that hard.

Parking ourselves in the science fiction section, we read. Well, Nagato read really, while I just found a manga lying nearby and looked at the pictures, not really taking the story in.

Fifteen minutes in, I decided to speak to her.

"Nagato..." She raised her eyes from the book to me, "I have to ask, is Haruhi human, and am I human too?"

Her eyes flickered for a second before she replied, "Your genetic structure is human, as is Haruhi Suzumiya, although there appear to be a few rogue elements that defy classification."

"Hmm, so you're saying that she still has an unknown quality about her."

"Correct, nevertheless it is not to the extent of her complete undisclosed factors previous to her death. Currently, the majority of her self is human, though that is liable to change."

"Sounds like her alright..." I chuckled to myself as Nagato returned to her book, "Uhh, sorry to bother you again, Nagato."

She faced me again as I swallowed, my heart pumping faster than before, and my face was getting warmer. Why isn't the air conditioning working in here?!

"I, uh..." I coughed to clear my throat, "I just wanted to tell you something, Nagato." She was sitting there, frozen like a statue, even her own simulated breathing hard to discern, although her eyes were paying attention to me, "Everything we've been through has taught me a few things... Like how to appreciate life, and how death can happen to any one of us, when we least expect it." Her unmoving body made me fidgety, as I assumed I was going to make a big mistake, "So, we shouldn't regret things we've never done or said, and I don't want to spend the rest of my life thinking to myself 'what if', so I'll just come out and say it..."

I took a long breath and blurted it out.

"I love you, Nagato."

A reaction! She slowly closed her book and placed it squarely on the table.

"I don't know when it came about, perhaps from the fight with Asakura Ryouko, and you saved me, perhaps even before then when Haruhi took over your clubroom. Ever since then, I've always worried about your wellbeing, even though you are person I can rely on most to get us out of a pinch. I've always been thinking about you..." 

Yes, my face was flushed red; could any more blood be directed to my face? It feels like I'm on fire!

I saw Nagato's lips moving at the hyperspeech level, and the area five metres around us was sealed away into a data controlled land.

"I see..." She spoke normally, placing a hand on the book she was reading, "This is a problematic situation. You are a human, but I am an alien."

"I don't care about things like that!" Gees, I sounded like a petulant schoolkid. 

"Humans have fantasised about aliens for years." She seemed to be going into a speech, "Countless books have been written about them. Xenomorphs, predators, Daleks, and so on. As humans cannot comprehend the idea of benevolent aliens, most are characterised as threats, and are thereby annihilated." She turned to look at me, "Though some stories have humans peacefully coexisting with aliens, even interbreeding, there is still the constant of war and strife."

I sighed, understanding her point, "But you're not like them, Nagato, you're kind and you help people."

"I nullified the data link to Asakura Ryouko a year ago. In effect I killed her. This time I chose to restore her to a human form, but I still deleted the Macrospatial Quantum Cosmic Existence." She didn't pause this time, "I have killed people, even if it was change Terminals to Humans, I altered their forms against their will, without their knowledge."

"But..." I felt like I was fighting a losing battle, "You're still Nagato... I don't care about all that..."

Her body glowed yellow, the data wings unfurling from her back, the halo overhead gleaming. Entity Nagato spoke in the woman's voice, "But you must. You need to see within your heart, to understand that, while still in a human form, I am capable of terrible deeds. Can you look beyond the possibility of that?"

I nodded without hesitation, "Yes, because the Nagato I know would never do such things, and if she did, I would stop her."

This made Entity Nagato pause, and her voice became less harsh, "You will understand the major difference between a relationship between a data-based lifeform and a human. There is an underlying core which is vastly contrasting to what you are used to in humans. You may not be able to comprehend certain ideas and values that I have, and that you may not share. Yet you still accept this?"

I thought about it, but it only took a second to decide, "Nagato is the person I feel closest to. Out of everyone I know, I can read her emotions, even though she has hidden them well. No matter what she chooses to do, I'll support her somehow. Though I'm only a human, with a short life, I'll do what I can as a human."

The glow faded and Nagato returned to her old self, "I am unable to predict what problems we may come across in the future between us, nor can I guarantee that you will be happy with me..."

For once, I felt emotion in her voice as it was the first time it trailed away when talking to me, "No one knows what will happen when a relationship begins, all we can do is try our best to keep it going. If it doesn't work out, we can still be friends, right?"

Nagato nodded after a few seconds. She looked at me directly and spoke quietly, "I too have unfamiliar iterations within me when I associate with your person. I am unable to articulate the thoughts at this time, since my data pathways appear to be self corrupting themselves."

This could be the data equivalent of butterflies in the stomach.

Ten seconds of silence flowed within the data lockdown area before she spoke again, "Corruption ceased." She stared at me, "I believe that, according to all the information and data stored within my terminal, I contain certain aspirations towards you and I constructing a link between us for a prolonged duration."

"Uhh..." I tried to establish what she had just said, but the numerous long words lost me.

"I like you." She stated succinctly, just like that time in the past fortnight, "I cannot gauge accurately the grade of this 'like' emotion, whether it constitutes the basic level of friendship with a colleague, or if it stretches to the upper level of 'love'. There is no fixed scale to which I can compare it to."

I smiled, at least she was being honest about it, "That's okay, Nagato. As long as you give me a chance, you can determine for yourself later."

She nodded before looking around briefly, "Additionally, I do not know how to continue. I will need to learn the official methods of showing this emotion to you in our new relationship. Though I can download any data instantly, processing emotional responses to your actions may take some time before I can perform them naturally."

I shrugged, again understanding her problem, "Same with me, but you could do one thing for me, you could say my name."

"Your name. Is that all you require from me?" Her eyes were mildly confused inside, though her body remained still.

I nodded, "For now, that's what I'd like to hear the most." I waited patiently.

"Acknowledged..." She closed her eyes, reopening them moments later, "I like you... Kyon."

Since it was the first time I've ever heard her say my name, I felt my body jolt as if it were a lightning bolt coursing through me. Though it felt stimulating, it also made me heat up inside, just hearing her call me, even if it was my annoying nickname, brought me closer to her instantly.

What surprised me was the data barrier has gone down before she said that, but what was now on her face.

Nagato was smiling.

Not an extreme one by any means, but nor was it just a millimetre curve upwards at each edge of her lips. No, every part of her lips was involved in the small smile, which transformed her face majestically into the perfect sweet girl that most men would kill to get. I was reminded of that quiet shy Nagato in that alternate reality. 

Taniguchi would be insanely jealous of having missed this moment.

"For-for-for-forgot my manga..." 

The singsong whisper came from around the corner of books as the man himself turned up. He saw us sitting near to each other, and Nagato kept her smile for a second longer, before returning to normal.

His anguished cries and bizarre running technique, which saw him knocking over several chairs in his way, angered the librarians who chased him out.

I don't think I'll be able to explain this one to him now.

Nagato turned back to me, "Did I perform the incorrect action?"

I shook my head, "No, he's just an idiot." I smiled at her, before checking my watch, "Uh oh... We'd better leave now before Haruhi calls us."

Standing up, she picked up the book she was reading and took it with her to the exit area, where the date was stamped into the front of the book and placed it in her bag. It was called 'The Lovers' by P J Farmer, another author I'd never heard of before.

We left the library in a mild rush, because Haruhi would have undoubtedly arrived early at the meeting point just to annoy me further. We walked side by side as normal people went about their lives, shopping, walking, eating, relaxing.

I felt a soft touch on my right, and saw that it was Nagato who was holding my hand, though her face was still concentrating and facing forwards. She spoke gently.

"According to a brief analysis I have conducted, using a variety of sources including humans around us, I have ascertained an appropriate level for the start of a relationship. Is this suitable?"

I squeezed her hand gently to make my point, "Yes, it's fine Nagato, but you don't have to ask if something is good or not. If you believe it's okay then do it, I'll let you know if it's a little too much."

"..."

She kept her hand on mine, neither exerting a lot of pressure nor being limp enough to just let go. As we approached the rendezvous, she released her hand

"At this early stage, it would be unwise to allow Haruhi Suzumiya to see us commencing a romantic relationship. We do not yet know the extent of her powers, so it would be prudent to conceal this in front of her."

My smile slipped as my hand began to get cold again from the lack of contact with her, "Yeah, you're probably right Nagato..." I started walking forwards only for her to pull on my top.

"Kyon..." My body convulsed once at her saying my name again, "This is only temporary. It does not signal the end of the relationship, nor have my feelings towards you changed for the negative." Her eyes looked up at me, "In the future, when Haruhi Suzumiya finds out about this, I will not back down if she tells me, unless you feel you no longer want me."

I saw her face and felt sad at the eyes she gave me, "I wouldn't do that, Nagato." I hugged her, feeling a little silly as her arms remained at her sides.

She moved her thin arms up and around my waist, "Yuki."

"Huh?"

"Call me Yuki."

I smiled, another barrier around our relationship going down, "Okay then, Yuki."

We held it for a few seconds longer before pulling away. Nagato looked at me, "Since hiding this from Haruhi Suzumiya is necessary in public, there is nothing to suggest that, while she is away, we can continue this in private."

I nodded, agreeing completely, as we walked into the central square, "Nagato, have you been speaking easier for me?"

She just looked at me, but her eyes showed me her answer as we approached the group.

"Well, Kyon? Did you find anything?" Haruhi's eyes peered into my head.

"Sorry, Haruhi, I couldn't see anything out of the ordinary..."

"Liar!" She pointed her finger inches from my nose, "I know what you did, you probably lured poor Yuki into a false sense of security and forced her to do your evil bidding!"

"What?!" I marched closer to her as she tutted at me waving her finger in disapproval, "I would never do anything like that to Nagato!"

"Oh really?" She turned to Nagato, "Yuki, what did you and Kyon do together?"

I began to panic a little, worrying about the promise we made to each other.

"We searched around the outskirts of the park area, past the main street where the library was located. We were unable to locate any unknown phenomena in the area, and therefore decided to return here."

Haruhi stood taller after that, accepting it completely, "Well, if Yuki says nothing happened, then nothing happened." She turned to me, her spiteful grin in full blow, "But don't you dare try anything Kyon, or else heads will roll!"

I swallowed once and nodded, trying to wave off her threat as nothing, I think I felt a bead of sweat roll down my forehead. I think she spotted my discomfort, and was about to press it when she was interrupted.

"Ah, is that Kyon?"

Our group turned to the new voice. It was girl about my age, and she had short brown hair, and seemed friendly in her posture. I had a faint memory of her but it didn't quite come to me fast enough.

She moved closer, looking at my face whilst leaning forwards, "Yes, you are Kyon, aren't you?" Her arms folded behind her back, she smiled knowingly.

Looking into her youthful complexion I stared into those eyes, which eerily reminded me of someone else, and of a time in my childhood.

"Could you be, Sasaki?"

"That's right, you remembered me!" She smiled happily, clapping her hands together once, "What a coincidence, finding you here, I was just thinking about you and our talks from the past."

"Hey, Kyon, are you going to introduce us?" 

Suddenly recalling that I wasn't alone, Haruhi's voice cut through the vein of nostalgia I was feeling around Sasaki. 

"Ah, sorry..." I moved to show her the group, "These are my friends from North High…" 

I introduced each one in turn, eliciting quiet hello's, raucous laughter and silence, leaving the main person for last.

"And this is Haruhi Suzumiya."

For some reason Sasaki held out her hand, a bold gesture which wasn't common in Japanese culture. Haruhi however didn't flinch and accepted it happily, her smile growing more wrathful.

"Nice to meet you, Suzumiya-san."

"Likewise, Sasaki-san."

That moment, the depth in Sasaki's eyes hit me again, as only one other person held that much inside them.

And that was Haruhi.

Immediately, I felt a change around me. I looked to the SOS Brigade, and my worst fears were confirmed. Asahina-san held a hand to her left ear, Koizumi received a text message on his mobile, Tsuruya-san removed a metallic cylinder and stared at the display in amazement, and Nagato stopped moving anything apart from her lips which uttered an incantation.

I scratched my head and sighed in defeat.

"Yare yare..."

It looks like things were going to get interesting again...

**---  
Author's Notes**

Finished, it's over finally! Talk about epic... I'm only thankful that I managed to tie up all the plotlines left. 

Yeah, it went a little too spiritual in the last few chapters, but given the subject, I felt it was appropriate. Hopefully some of the topics didn't go over your head; I know that I got confused at some point!

It's been a long journey, but one I'm glad to have written down, since this I how I envisioned the series to end. Did you see the Nagato / Kyon pairing from the beginning? To all you Haruhi / Kyon lovers out there, I hope this didn't turn you off the story.

Still, the epilogue is coming up, set a few years in the future, with one final twist to really screw up your thoughts! I'm evil like that.

- J


	18. Ouroboros

**The Death of Haruhi Suzumiya**

**Epilogue**

**Ouroboros**

**Twenty years later**

I closed my laptop, another day of work having gone by effortlessly. It was almost not worth going into the office any more, when I knew I could just get things done at home, but appearances were everything in the corporate world. My boss would probably sack me if I didn't pay him much respect, though he knows that to me this isn't really something I must do.

I'm just your average 36 year old salaryman, working in a dead end job for some mindless, soulless business. It's not like I need to work any more, but I'll feel guilty if I don't at least contribute to society in some form.

However, I've been writing in the meantime, mostly freelance for some newspapers and magazines. Some are genuine articles, but I have contract for columns that I comment on daily or weekly events. Somehow my sense of dry humour is appealing to many, so why not let them have it for a price?

I got up from the study and went downstairs to my living room, picking up a magazine that I rarely read, apart from looking at the front cover. The malicious grin was gone, replaced with a stern but neutral line where her lips were, yet her eyes still held animosity within them, which apparently was the reason for her success. The deadly beauty, or as some called her, the definition of the femme fatale...

Asakura Ryouko had gone up in the world after graduating from North High. She went to university, and passed an advanced physics degree with outstanding grades. Being a former Terminal, she had knowledge way above normal humans, though I believe that she lost a great deal of information when she was downgraded.

She was spotted by some scout as she refused yet another invitation to join a modelling contest there. Having thrown several bouquets at the man, she shunned his attention constantly until one day, she just showed up at his studio on a whim. A few photos here or there using her natural charm, nobody thought anything more of it. Within weeks she was signed up by his agency and had begun full length photo shoots with pay. It became abundantly clear that she wouldn't smile for the camera, or do anything slightly positive in terms of expressing herself emotionally.

That earned her the reputation, and her popularity soared because of it. Soon she was headhunted by larger firms, but she rejected all of them. The major fashion designers then wanted her to wear their outfits. The strange thing was that she accepted them all on one condition. That she stay with her current firm, and that she would not be tied to any one designer in particular, favouring all of them equally. At one point, even Interflora was interested in sponsoring her frequent floral assaults.

Yuki told me that having already killed her twice before, and trying it a third time reached a mental block she hadn't come across before. It wasn't coded in, nor was it something to do with the Entity. I saw it as guilt for essentially deleting her own sister, and that she couldn't live with doing it once more. Having compromised by making her human and placing those limitations on her, she probably didn't feel any more since then.

We still see Asakura Ryouko every year, as we have an annual reunion date with everyone. She was still angry at me, but at least I didn't have any flowers land on or near me for over a decade or so... I guess that she's mellowed, and even now when she was angry toward my person, it seemed to be mostly for show. For all I know, she could be happy with her life now.

I checked the financial papers, and could only smirk as Koizumi's firm had their shares go up again for the tenth month in a row. Whether it was the influence of the Organisation, I couldn't tell, though I'm sure they had a hand in its success. Most of the members were working in profitable places, whilst the rest did charity and voluntary work. Somehow the esper powers gave them the intelligence to recognise what was a good job or not.

Then again, the employees loved Koizumi's blank smiling face, no different to the one I was exposed to on a daily basis. He was reportedly a popular boss, no doubt because he knew how to prevent people from getting upset, having been around Haruhi for so long. With Kyoko-san by his side, as his wife and co-partner in the firm, he seemed to be happy with his new life. As much as I despised his smarmy ploy to being Haruhi's 'yes man', I didn't begrudge him his success, nor did I wish for him to fail.

Their daughter was around eleven now, and I think was also an esper, not exactly mindblowing given the genealogy of her parents. From what I gathered from the few conversations I had with her, it was like talking to a miniature, female version of Koizumi, clever and yet hiding it well beneath her innocent face. She resembled her mother a lot.

I glanced at the clock, seeing that it was almost midday, before recalling someone else.

Asahina-san came by occasionally. Time had caught up and one day, she suddenly became Asahina-san (Big), speaking with us as if things were normal. Of course, by that time there was little physical difference between the two, but she informed me so that there would be no more confusion or private matters that I couldn't talk about with the younger version. I could see her sadness inside, because despite being the leader of the time travelling community, she could not just violate protocol and live in the past all the time. I could sympathise with her, since one day we would be too old, and she would still be her young self, it would shatter her fragile heart.

Nevertheless, when she came to visit, it was for about a week at a time, and she'd stay at Tsuruya-san's mansion free of charge. The green-haired girl was living there alone with her maids and butlers, and relished the chance to see the time traveller again. At this moment, she was here, and I could tell the telltale signs of something being hidden, as Tsuruya-san had a twinkle in her eye, and Asahina-san was just blushing more each day.

It's not like it would shock me to know that they were a couple, it was already a badly kept secret in our group... Only Asahina-san was blissfully unaware of everyone else noticing it. I just felt for both of them since they had a lot in common, from having experienced and seen terrible things in their lives. The important thing was that they were both happy around each other, and I suppose that's what matters in the end. I wished them the best, though I couldn't see a way for Asahina-san to stay here permanently.

I glanced at a picture beside the television, and felt a sense of nostalgia after seeing the face of my sister.

She'd obviously changed quite a bit and was just slightly shorter than me. Having taken care of Shamisen for so long, she chose to go into veterinary school, and had her own practice in our city. The cat was still alive, even I thought that at 22 years it was fairly remarkable, if not unheard of, for cats to live that long. She took him to work with her to calm down wilder animals. Whenever Shamisen walked about the reception area, all the cries of the animals in pain or because they were in their cages stopped as he sat there. Telepathic communication maybe, or just another coincidence? It didn't matter anyway, since both were alive and well.

I flicked the large television on and saw a news broadcast, as allegations of corruption and cronyism were shouted down with a passion, refuted completely, and making the accuser seem ridiculous. The figurehead was powerful and always one step ahead of detractors, and had a comeback reply for every comment made.

Haruhi of course lit the world alight, not literally thank goodness, her brains and natural intuition got her to the highest position one can possibly get. Prime Minister Haruhi Suzumiya was hard to get hold of these days, though it was perfectly understandable given her status. Entering the Diet directly into the House of Representatives and immediately gaining popularity both inside the chambers and outside with the public, she became the youngest ever Prime Minister at the age of thirty, already re-elected once, and the first female one in Japan. Her ratings stayed high as she countered any attempts from the opposition, which consisted of all the other parties. Not having liked the policies of any of the current ones, she created her own, the SOS Brigade party...

As if the world couldn't get any crazier... She hand picked her party members, which included Sasaki as her second in command, to filter out any spies or poor politicians. As such it was impossible to join unless she liked you for a particular reason; no amount of bribery or blackmail would work against her. Given that she also exposed those who tried either method to all the media, publicly naming and shaming them, it made others less eager to apply lest she turn her attention to their shadier techniques.

Somehow, she stayed in office by improving the economy, the relations with other countries, and even solving the falling birth rate. Japan was currently booming thanks to her machinations. On a world scale, Japan was impressing other governments in the UN, and obviously due to the current leader's vigour and youthfulness, giving vague impressions of Junichiro openness and casual attitude.

And yes, she still wore that silly armband, although now it says 'Prime Minister'.

I found it hilarious that she ended up with that guy though; it threw me for a start, until she explained it began back at school. I accepted her word for it. Their ten year old son also scared me, those eyes were far too observant in everything he saw, and I'm positive odd things have happened around him…

As for me, well...

A hand on my shoulder startled me for a second, before I held it briefly.

"Lunch is ready, Kyon."

I looked up to my wife and smiled warmly, "Thanks, Yuki."

I got up to look at her, still hardly believing I was with her. Her height hadn't changed, though she wore her hair a little longer, letting it grow to change her hairstyle whenever she wanted, and it reached the shoulders now. She even put it in a ponytail some days. Her face was age defying, still looking as she had been back when I first met her. Her expressions were still neutral when she wasn't being directly spoken to, but otherwise she did form small smiles and frowns rarely when she was upset.

Though she kept her school uniform, I reminded her a while ago that it wouldn't be suitable for going out normally, so I encouraged her to buy some clothing. She never took to formal suit-like clothing; though she did wear trousers or jeans sometimes, she preferred kimonos and dresses instead. She was currently wearing the former, a pale blue to offset her violet hair, with patterns of flowers strewn around on it.

I didn't object to her wearing the uniform on occasion though...

Yuki was the strangest of all of us. She didn't have a job anywhere, and stayed at home, though her method of housekeeping was a little more extreme and I doubted there was a single particle of dust in our home environment that survived for longer than a second. Every atom of our home was controlled by her powers, and our garden seemed to survive the winter months, still blooming despite snow falling one year. She never displayed any desire to work, despite being most likely the most intelligent person on the planet. I suppose it never occurred to her that it was normal for people to work daily, but she didn't seem to be bothered by this notion. Like I mentioned earlier, there was no point to working if Yuki could just conjure up something from nowhere, even money. I believed it was immoral though, and would only allow us the use of her powers for things only we use or need to fix, such as transport, electrical goods and so on.

That's not to say she didn't go out. She liked to walk the neighbourhood and see new places. By new places, I meant that most days, she'd just materialise herself in another part of the world and simply take in the view, visit the sights, or sit in a foreign park reading her favourite books. Souvenirs from every continent, including Antarctica, were placed in our home; holidays certainly were cheap with her powers!

In spite of being able to access or read anything at will, she did have one hobby, and that was books. If a new science fiction book was being released, she was always at the front of the queue, no matter where the first release would take place, and she would converse in the correct language perfectly. This unfortunately happened too frequently that one magazine caught on, so she settled for going a day later, after having reserved a copy beforehand.

She sometimes dropped in on the Computer Research Society President. He ran a small computer chain store, the main one coincidentally located in the mall where we filmed the adverts for the summer festival movie. He sells games and computer parts and even services faulty ones, not liking the whole industry and instead choosing to do something that made him happy.

Yuki would help him diagnose problems with certain troublesome PCs within seconds. He always paid her for each one she worked on, knowing that it would have taken him longer to do them on his own, and she even worked by phone, using the data manipulation skills through the phone line. He never asked questions about her abilities, nor did she declare them to him, he just knew that she was special, and was happy to be included in her circle of friends. He was invited to our reunions too, though Haruhi did scare him a little too much, perhaps even more now.

I sat down to the Western style table and waited patiently as Yuki brought in the lunch, which turned out to be katsudon, the meat atop the rice appeared to be juicy and well done at the same time. I had to leave a bit of room in my stomach since she still poured a lot of tea for me after my meal, but I was used to it by now.

As Yuki sat down to the table, I picked up my chopsticks, looking forward to the meal. Since she was still the Entity, she cooked amazing meals from all corners of the globe, as if they were all made by the professional who first came up with the idea. My taste buds thanked me daily.

I was about to pick up a small strip of meat, only to pause and frown at my chopsticks, which were now two pencils. Staring at the person opposite me, I raised my eyebrow and sent a stern gaze in that direction. A subtle change in the material in my hand restored the original pair.

I lowered my chopsticks to their resting place.

"Haruki..." My voice was serious, "What have I told you about doing that when we're about to eat?"

"Sorry dad..."

The boy pouted and muttered under his breath, changing something else on the table that I couldn't see back to normal.

"I told you Kyon would notice!" A raspberry sound came from the girl next to me.

"Ameko, don't tease your brother like that, and don't call me Kyon either..." I scolded her lightly, and she too quietened down, not used to hearing me raise my voice at her.

I suppose by now I should have introduced my two children, huh?

Haruki is the elder of the two, he's twelve years old and is active for his age. His hair is slate grey and he shares my natural style, though a few tufts do stick up in various places. His eyes are deep grey, and he's more intelligent than other kids his age, so he's mostly average in every way.

Apart from his data manipulation ability, which he inherited from his mother.

While nowhere near as powerful as Yuki, he can do simple replacement techniques, such as just now swapping my chopsticks for his pencils upstairs, and another day changing the rice into grit from outside. It only applies for small things for now, though inevitably it will grow stronger. He can't delete items, though I hope he won't learn it any time soon.

Yuki instructs him almost daily on the proper conduct of the data manipulation, and if he does use it too often for his own benefit or to torment someone, then she locks down his abilities for a week, a form of grounding. She has control over him, in allowing or disallowing it, though she can't prevent him for becoming for skilled at it on his own. If Haruki is the computer, becoming better by training, experience or just growing up, Yuki is the power supply, so she can shut his powers down any time it is necessary.

As I'm unable to stop him if he does something, I get him to change it back, and if he can't or won't do it, then Yuki does for me, and punishes him in her own way.

Meanwhile, my other child Ameko is an energetic nine year old girl, and has two pigtails either side of her head. Her hair is a light brown, and so are her eyes. She's inherited her brains from me, which entails lower test results and my having to go to the school often to ask why she's not doing so well. I do try to help her with her homework though, and sometimes Yuki comes also, though simplifying her talk can confuse Ameko.

Though I ask Yuki often to check, it's a fact. Ameko is one hundred percent human, with no trace of data manipulation or anything else in her blood. However, I'm still left with a nervous feeling when I see her staring at a random object when we go out together, or looking around the area as if she could hear a voice calling her. I get the impression that she knows more than what she's letting on, and I'm not referring to data related matters. She does seem quite witty though, and likes to tell dry jokes with a wry sense of sarcasm.

The first word she uttered is one she still says to this day, and that word is my nickname, 'Kyon'. She never called me 'father', 'dad', or even 'daddy' when she was younger. I couldn't break that habit of hers, which is why she reminds me of that energetic girl in the past. Despite my fears, I love her very much, and perhaps I spoil her too much at times, although Yuki also does the same in her own way.

The two pregnancies were curious in the sense that they were textbook in every way. Yuki converted the necessary parts to be human, with her DNA and genetic structure when we wanted to have the kids, and she allowed her bump to grow over the nine months. Thankfully, there was no need to explain why she wasn't in any pain despite having no epidural, since we went to Koizumi's hospital, the ever reliable Mori-san acting as midwife this time. Though I'm sure Yuki knew how to do it herself, it was another way to get closer to the others, and she didn't object in any way.

They grew up healthy, and I'm pretty positive that they never caught a cold once, perhaps they inherited some special antibodies in their blood, or maybe Yuki protects them from germs. I hope that in the future they won't be hypersensitive when or if this shield vanishes.

I was shunted out of my reverie by Ameko whining.

"Haruki-niisan is lucky... He can do those things..." She folded her arms and sulked at the table.

Yuki and I looked at each other, knowing that this was a growing problem; her jealousy of his powers was becoming more obvious by the day. I looked at her, forgoing my meal for now.

"Ameko, you need to know something about Haruki. He can change things, but no one else in the world can do them..." I looked to Yuki, as it didn't seem to come out right from my mouth.

"Your father is correct. In this world, only two people can change things like that, and that is me and Haruki." Yuki smiled lightly and patted Haruki on his back, "To have this power means to control it all the time, otherwise you will forget how to live normally."

Haruki nodded, "That's right, Ame-chan... I need to learn how to hold it in all the time... It's just so easy, to change grades, to get money..." He shook his head and frowned, "It's cool sometimes, but I forget how not to use it..."

Ameko stared at him curiously, and then looked at me, "Does that mean I'm boring?"

I ruffled her hair, making her giggle in response, "No, it just means you're human, and therefore special in your own way. You just need to discover how."

I swore to myself that I saw a spark flare up in her eyes, one that extinguished within a blink of hers. She beamed, "Okay Kyon, I'll become special! I'll make you proud of me!"

My stomach churned once, a queer sense of dread flooding my capillaries, accompanied by a large serving of déjà vu.

Is this how Haruhi...?

"I-It's okay, I'm already proud of you, Ameko." I patted her head once again, hoping that would be enough to stave away her intrigue. "Now, let's finish lunch okay? It's going to be a big day today..."

Silently we ate our meal together, savouring the taste of traditional Japanese cooking for once, whilst I saw Yuki's eyes turn a little sadder at the edges.

**An hour later**

I picked up my laptop, taking it with me downstairs, having saved all the necessary documents. I had a folder that held other important things, and a suitcase with some clothes in it, as well as a few mementos.

My family was waiting for me downstairs, Yuki stood between our children, who both had tears in their eyes.

I knelt down to look at them face to face, "Hey now, I won't be gone for long, I'll be back before you know it!"

"But dad... I'll miss you..." Haruki tried to be strong, but failed.

"I know, son... Your mother will take care of you; just remember that I'm not going to stay there forever."

Ameko sniffed once, then folded her arms angrily, "I'm not happy." She stated.

"Ameko, promise me you'll try hard with your school work."

She looked away, the tear globules at the edge of her eyes shaking, "Fine." She faced me again, "You'd better bring me back something good, Kyon!"

Grinning, I nodded, "That's a fair bargain..." I looked up at my loving wife, "Yuki..."

Her child-like face bore down-turned lips and a tiny crease between her eyebrows. Her eyes were shimmering slightly.

"Kyon... I just want to remind you that I can only fix the details once when you arrive, and then you are on your own until you choose to return. The dangers are numerous, as is any reality, although I, nor the Organisation or the other agencies will be able to help you there."

"I was prepared for this, Yuki..." I moved closer to her and held my hands out to her arms, holding them softly, "Perhaps it's selfish of me to do this on my own, but I've wanted to do it for a while, it's something I feel people should know about..."

She lowered her head, "I understand, but at the same time, I don't want you to go alone..."

I pulled her in for a hug, as the kids giggled and stepped back at another display of affection, "I'll be careful, Yuki. I won't take any unnecessary risks. Besides, I'll have your picture with me, as well as the others, for inspiration and courage."

She sniffed and as she looked up I saw tears in her eyes for the first time in my life. I had no idea how much this affected her, so I was about to pull back and stop my journey, but she saw this dramatic change in me and shook her head, keeping me in her arms.

"No, I won't let you stop now. Go, Kyon, and do what makes you happy. You deserve one little extravagance in your life. You've earned it."

I nodded and leaned in to kiss her, savouring the taste and feel of her supple lips for the last time in a long while.

I moved back to my belongings and picked them up, feeling tears welling up in my own eyes, but persevered in keeping them there.

Yuki took a step closer and moved her arms back, before returning them to her sides, keeping the children behind them.

"I have confirmed that Asahina Mikuru has initiated the necessary temporal field in this proximity, and will be active until all communications have ceased with you. Do you have the Control Timer?"

I pulled it out of my pocket, holding it tenderly.

"When you fire the sliding portal, it will detect an area devoid of people in an urban location. It will be open for one minute allowing me to insert your presence into the world's systems."

I nodded, already knowing this, but knew that Yuki was secretly worrying inside, and trying to delay the push of the button.

"After the portal closes, there will be no contact back to this universe, or a return to this time period. The only way home is for you to reopen the portal, which will automatically be detected by me. You will not be able to return to that place after coming back here. Having been temporarily granted access to the Master TPDD, I will ensure that the temporal state will be stable enough for you to return. When you receive a command on the timer, jump into the portal."

"Thank you, Yuki." I whispered, smiling for her, as she gave a shy one in return. I spoke louder, "I'll miss you all, but I'll be back, no doubt about that!"

I aimed the timer into the centre of the living room where a gap was prepared, firing so that the silver portal emerged, and then was surrounded by an electrical field on the ring.

"Temporal coordinates established, approximate date, April 2003. Target reality locked, U1, Earth1." She looked into my eyes, as a sole stream left her eyes for one moment before vanishing, "Good luck, Kyon."

"Bye dad! Have fun!" Haruki smiled for me.

"Remember Kyon, something good, okay?" Ameko cried out, also crying quietly.

Waving to them, and sending one last sardonic grin, I jumped into the vortex.

**One second later**

Nagato started glowing and upgraded herself to the Entity level, and began her hyperspeech after linking to that world's computers, forging papers for Kyon, even going to the extent of changing the savings he had on him to the currency in use at the time.

For the latter, Kyon had insisted on using the money he had been saving up, instead of simply having some created for him there. Whilst not overly wealthy, he had a healthy balance to tide over and one in which Nagato could use while was gone, given that it was a joint account.

She adjusted the laptop he carried on him to conform to the design of that time, although it was far too complex even for this time, seeing as Nagato constructed it using her own abilities. As such, it ran for ten hours without power, recharged instantly using the sun, had a custom operating system and would never be prone to viruses. It was also tagged so that Kyon would never lose it, always teleporting back to him if it went missing, and only his DNA signature would switch it on.

Finding a suitable furnished location for him to live in, she automated the first month's rent and deposit, moving the keys into his pocket as well as the address on a piece of paper with instructions. Altering the minds of a few people, namely his new landlord and some neighbours, she had finished the job in less than ten seconds.

She recalled his instructions not to make things easier for what he was about to do. If it didn't work out, he would come back, but if it did, he would stay there until it was done. She felt for his person, and found him in Tokyo, in a car park where a security camera wasn't working, at around nine at night. She detected that no one could see the portal, nor that anyone was arriving at his insertion point, and was thankful for that.

Realising that the connection would terminate in a second, she sent one last message as the portal fizzled away. Having dried up her tears, she looked down at her children to see them both wiping their faces, only for more tears to come. She smiled and placed an arm around both of them, and they hugged her back.

"Haruki, Ameko." They looked up at her when she to spoke a minute later when their sobs had died down, "What would you like to do for Golden Week?"

Haruki piped up immediately, "I want to go to see the Coliseum in Rome!"

"Boring!" Ameko countered, "I want to go to EuroDisney!"

"No! Even having New York cheesecake is better than that!"

"The Sydney Opera House then, it's a lot cooler!"

"Okay..." She patted both their heads, "We'll go to every place you want. Until your father returns we can eat in a different city each night. There's no limit."

Their smiles widened as they ran upstairs to pack their bags, Yuki had already packed her own lightweight one whilst she was speaking to them.

Sitting down silently on the sofa, she placed her hands in her lap and changed clothing to something more suitable for walking around outside, opting for a comfortable pair of trousers and a warm top. Tightening her hands into the folds of the trousers around the thigh level, she closed her eyes.

"Take care and have fun, husband."

**Meanwhile  
U1, Earth1**

I breathed the air, feeling refreshed despite it being the middle of Tokyo. I looked at the timer once more, and the message was still there, glowing for me.

"I'll miss you. I'll be waiting. I love you, Kyon."

I doubted it would leave the timer any time soon, so I pocketed it again. It was triple locked, so that I couldn't accidentally reopen the portal home again by bumping it on the way to my new home.

The apartment was compact, but perfectly habitable for someone like me with few desires. Placing the laptop on the desk and counting my money, I found that I had enough to pay the rent for at least four years, and had enough to buy food, pay bills and spend some on a few luxuries. I suppose that Haruhi improved my Japan so much that the currency must've deflated quite a bit to make my savings look to be huge here.

I placed the photo frames out, having brought two that were very close to me.

The personal one of my family and I smiling whilst standing in front of the Parthenon in Greece during the height of summer was put on the floor beside where the futon would go. The children were two years younger than now, and both were beaming brightly. Yuki had erected a subtle field effect behind and around us to prevent people getting in the way of the large ancient temple, giving the rare image in my hands. Despite being of Japanese origin, she didn't tan easily unless she allowed it so; therefore she didn't carry a parasol with her. Her soft smile was genuine, and I knew it was guaranteed to keep me warm while I was away.

The other photo of all of us at our last reunion sat next to my laptop. It was all of us on two levels, the front row sitting, the back standing, and it was rather entertaining to watch.

Haruhi of course was in the centre, she had ordered her bodyguards out of the photo since all of them would've doubled the number in the picture. She had her arms folded and grinned madly, her armband in full display over her black suit. She wore a ponytail that day too I recall.

To the left of her was Koizumi and Kyoko-san, resting their hands on the lap of their daughter, Hiromi, who was between them. She was quite cute for a twelve year old, getting her girly looks from Kyoko-san, and her maturity from Koizumi. She left her brown hair long, and it settled halfway down her back. They were all respectfully dressed in suits, even Hiromi, and bore similar shaped smiles. The parents seemed happy, perhaps at the prospect of their second child, seeing as Kyoko-san was heavily pregnant, her other hand draped over her belly.

To Haruhi's right was a bright red and half squealing Asahina-san. She wore a semi-formal white top and skirt, though her cause of embarrassment came from Tsuruya-san next to her who was hugging her waist tightly, and most likely tickling her somewhere we couldn't see. She wore an expensive kimono and was laughing loudly, her fang glinting faintly with the flash.

To the right of Tsuruya-san was the person that I feared greatly. The boy had a look that could curdle milk from twenty paces. He contained all the malevolence that the Sneering Bastard combined with the cruel efficiency of a death dealing Asakura Ryouko (when she was bad, that is), finally with a touch of volatility that was Psychotic Tsuruya. Shin, the son of Haruhi and her somewhat tortured husband, had everything Haruhi did when she was 'unstable', and more. I haven't yet seen anything strange happen, but I get the feeling it's only a matter of time. His arms crossed, he had ink black hair, deep eyes that gave you the impression that nothing good lay there, and that smirk makes me shudder. He wore a suit, which for an eleven year old was not entirely suitable, but to him it seemed like he was born with it.

He gives me the creeps…

Above and behind Haruhi was a very weary looking me. I had just had a tough day from being chewed out by my boss for slacking, though we both knew he made a mistake with the ordering... Well enough about that, I'm still annoyed at it...

To my immediate right was a grinning Asakura Ryouko, and my eyes were diverted to her face as she placed on hand on my head, her fingers splayed like trying to pick up a DVD at the edges. Her teeth were visible, as was some of her fury, but by now it had become a mask of her own happiness. She had on the latest dress from one of the top designers, I didn't particularly care to find out, nor did she tell us, since here, business was forgotten and only friends mattered.

To her right was my sister, oblivious to the blue-haired girl's antics, smiling politely with her arms on her legs. Shamisen was also there, having coming straight from her work, he was peacefully asleep, curled up in her arms.

After her was Sasaki, her smile was in contrast to Haruhi's in that it was wise and yet as if she knew a great secret, her half-lidded eyes also reflecting this. I knew there was some rivalry in their political life, but I wasn't sure of how much it was real or not. After the small 'incidents', shall we say, when they first met, things had settled down between them and they became fast friends, if at times it turned out to be tentative. They both trusted and suspected each other at the same time, which was a delicate balance that often shifted from both extremes. Yet, despite all that, I feet that they would always be there for each other and have each other's back.

Back to the middle, to my left I had Ameko followed by Haruki, who were both enjoying themselves, arms raised in the air. Yuki was next to my son, smiling gently, wearing a light pink kimono, subdued in its appearance compared to Tsuruya-san's busy dragon designs on her blaring red one.

The Computer Research Society President was the last in line, and he was looking down our row to look at someone in mild awe, and it wasn't Yuki, which makes me wonder who it could be.

Next to Sasaki was supposed to be one more person, but he was only vaguely in the image on the right as a large blurry object. He set the timer wrong on the camera, so he was too close to the lens, not having reached the seat and still in mid run. Haruhi's husband was mocked lightly after the photo, since it was the last amount of space he had on the memory card. Everyone agreed though that it was a good picture anyway, and no one wanted to redo it, much to his chagrin.

This was one of my treasured pictures, Yuki and I would always keep the most recent group photo hanging in the living room, as a reminder of the past. Of course there would be many more photos of everyone else during each reunion, and we had several albums devoted to those days.

I yawned suddenly. There wasn't really any jetlag to speak of, but suddenly I found my body wishing to sleep, even though it was lunchtime two hours ago. I assumed that Yuki must've fast-forwarded my body clock to help me acclimatise to the new time. Thanking her, I unrolled the futon from the cupboard and lay down, not wanting to change clothes just yet.

I lay awake for a short time before kissing the photo of my family and turning over to sleep.

**The next day  
11am**

Wide awake and feeling energised, I held my manuscript in hand and walked through the streets of Tokyo, searching for a particular type of company.

This world was exactly like my own, except without any paranormal things like espers, time travellers, sliders or aliens, the latter of which we can't tell because of the standard conspiracy theories. Tsuruya-san had scoured the worlds and came across this one, which to me was perfect for my needs, so she had it pre-programmed into the Control Timer for my benefit. To me, it felt no different, though I already had a pang of homesickness and was missing my family already.

I found one place quickly and went in to speak to the editor, wanting to show him a new story for his magazine. Not giving it a second glance, I left to find another place.

Four companies later, I found someone who had enough time to read through the first chapter. I got the reaction I was waiting for, widened eyes, a smile curling up and even slight annoyance at the end of it.

"Where's the rest of it?"

"I have more if you wish to see it; I already have enough material for a few books." The editor began to drool, having found a great story that even he was interested in. Knowing that I whet his appetite for the remainder, I smirked inside, but acted casual on the outside, "So, do you want to take it?"

"Fine, in the June issue it'll appear... But I get the first look at your work, okay?"

I smiled, this was going well.

**One month later**

The new issue came out, so I went to pick it up, and my smile only grew as a familiar face stared back at me from the front page. The descriptions and sample drawings I gave were perfect, and it thrilled me to see it in print finally.

Skipping all the other writers, I saw the page with my work on it, and began to read it through.

"_The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya_

_Prologue_

_When did I stop believing in Santa Claus? In truth, this sort of silly question holds no real significance for me. However, if you were to ask me when I stopped believing that the old man wearing the red costume was Santa, then I can confidently say: I have never believed in Santa, ever……"_

Once I was done, I laid back and stared at the picture on my desk, grinning widely.

**One year later**

I had created a monster.

Never before in my wildest dreams did I imagine that the popularity of this would soar to such extremes. My third novel was already released and it became a phenomenon, not just in Japan either.

I guess you really are popular Haruhi...

**Five years later**

I was glad, it was finally finished. All I had to do was to finish off the epilogue...

"_And so, this concludes my adventures with the person known as Haruhi Suzumiya. Who would've expected it to come to such a conclusion?_

_No matter what, she'll always be a part of my life, wherever she goes, whatever she does, somehow she'll affect me. _

_The SOS Brigade will forever remain as the group that made my life what it is now, and what it will become in the future._

_I haven't got any regrets, nor do I have any more wishes left. My life has been fulfilled in the most satisfying of fashions leaving me content with my choices, and happy knowing that I still have a long life left ahead of me to spend with the person I care most in the world._

_Of course, I doubt any of you who read this will have any inkling of what I'm talking about, and that's okay, I'll understand. It's better if none of you knew the truth anyway, it might scare you more than you could possibly imagine._

_So, remember, enjoy your lives for what they are, and don't always think about what you're going to do in the future. Try to have fun in the present, and you'll all become special in your own way._

_This is me, saying goodbye to you all now. Don't let it sadden you, as I'm going to a better place._

_Sayonara, Kyon."_

I saved the file and proofread it all, as a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. I switched off the laptop and went straight to bed.

**The next day  
Kadokawa Shoten Publishing**

"Are you sure?! It can't end like this!"

"I'm sorry, but it has, and there'll be no more stories from me." I smiled at the editor, his eyes bugging out somewhat, "Today, I'm leaving, forever, and I'm not coming back. Do what you want with the story, continue it if you think you can. My earnings you can pass to some charity or keep it for yourself, it's up to you." I stood up and bowed deeply, "Thank you for this chance, it has been fun."

The editor stood up too, sensing this would be the time he sees me again, "There's nothing I can do to convince you otherwise?"

I shook my head, "No, I have a beautiful wife, a wonderful family, and lifelong friends that want to see me again, and to be honest, so do I." I pulled out one photo frame from my bag and showed it to him, "As you can see, and I'm sure you'll understand, they are all precious to me."

His glasses fell to the ground as he saw my group photo, and analysed it for a full ten seconds, taking in every detail, as tears built up in his eyes.

"I... I'm sorry..." He bowed to me, "It's been an honour... Please go with my blessings and best wishes."

I left the office immediately, and looked around Tokyo. I had lived here for six years, so I would be sorry to say goodbye to it. I pulled out my list of things I had to do, most of them were ticked, including packing up my apartment, which only consisted of some clothes and my first belongings, informing the landlord I was leaving and giving him the last month's rent, quitting the job, and closing my bank account to take it out in cash.

Knowing that there was still one last thing to do, I went straight to Akihabara, and strode into the largest store there.

Despite having written one of the most famous series in recent times that had spanned the world and spawned three anime series, my face was relatively unknown, so I liked the anonymity.

Picking up some DVD box sets, packaged novels and a few of the expensive models, I paid for them at the till, stuffing them into two large plastic bags, before exiting quickly.

I stared up at the sky as I prepared myself, having done some research beforehand and retreated to an abandoned building that was scheduled for demolition later that week. I pulled out the timer, which still bore that same message, and activated it.

The portal expanded, and I waited until it began to crackle at the edges. The timer vibrated and I saw the message change.

"Temporal adjustments complete. Initiate transfer."

Not waiting a second longer, I did so, jumping into the silver pool carrying everything I own in with me.

**Ten seconds later**

I landed on my feet and dropped my bags to take in two bundles of heat in the form of my children, smiling and crying.

As the portal vanished behind me, the room lit up with natural sunlight once more.

I released them from the intense hug and opened up the bag to pull out a model for my son, "Here you go Haruki..."

"Wow, mum looks so cool!"

The Yuki model was wearing a witch's robe and hat, a magic wand on one hand, but interchangeable for a book, and even spare glasses inside. I handed another one to Ameko.

"Since you like my nickname so much, how about me?"

I handed her my model, the uniform replicated perfectly, and my cynical, tired expression also copied well.

"Well, it'll have to do, Kyon..." She sounded let down, but I could see her eyes light up.

They ran upstairs to play and customise the models, and probably put them on a shelf, when I walked up to Yuki.

"How long was I gone for?" I asked.

"Six weeks approximately, what was the time dilation period for you?"

"Six years..." I closed my eyes, letting out a sad breath, "I changed the plot a bit, but almost lost it trying to write the tenth novel, I was this close to coming back home..." I held out my hand, showing my index finger and thumb millimetres apart.

She smiled as she momentarily ascended into Entity level and muttered under her breath. I felt my body grow a tiny bit more lively and healthier.

"I have removed those six years of aging from you, so you have not changed." She came in for a hug, "Welcome back, Kyon."

"I'm home..." I pulled her in and stroked her violet hair, missing the scent of her aroma. Moving down to kiss those lips I hadn't pressed against for six years revived me, "Nagato Yuki ..." This brought her attention, "I believe it's time we go on another trip, what do you say we try London this time?"

She smiled fully, greater than her normal smiles; the only other time this happened was at our wedding, "Tanigawa Nagaru, I would love that."

Not even packing our bags, Yuki whisked us away that moment to the centre of Hyde Park in Kensington, disturbing flocks of wood pigeons in their grazing.

We hugged and kissed again beneath an old oak tree, as the sun rose from the East to signal a new day.

As my name suggests, I am like a flowing mountain stream, starting from high up in the clouds, trickling down through valleys, underground crevasses and glaciers to form a small tributary, meandering through the rocks and pebbles to be joined by other smaller similar streams, only to combine with a huge violent river. I am then carried down rushing torrents of water, rapids and eventually, the current slows as we reach the open sea, where I could truly be free.

Though she would never know, Haruhi's wish was fulfilled.

I had spread excitement all over the world, saving it by overloading it with fun, giving generations of people a reason to dream that the impossible can happen.

--  
**Author's Notes**

This might be a love it/hate it type of chapter. Some of you might not like my intense data dumps and reaching into the realms of the crackfic. I can understand that completely. As with the whole 'Kyon is in fact a self insertion by Tanigawa Nagaru, who is actually Kyon in the first place' theory I created. Again, I know this would probably annoy people even further.

I had this planned from the very beginning, and no, there were no hints of it, aside from the 'Haruhiism' mention in the previous chapter. This is a reference that the whole metaverse was in fact truth, and written from the point of view by someone who had lived through it all. Tanigawa's stories are so well written, it's hard to imagine that he just came up with it spontaneously sometimes, so I just decided to make this ridiculous notion reality.

Before any of you say, I know that I wrote Haruhi Suzumiya (western order) but the others I used Japanese order, as my title was written in the former.

I'll admit, Prime Minister Haruhi was a bit of a stretch, but I just liked the sound of it so much. If any of you are that put off by this chapter, ignore it and take the previous one to be the end. Any comments or questions you wish to make that aren't suitable for reviews, I'll happily accept private messages and respond accordingly. If I haven't ruined the entire story with this chapter, then please let me know that too, as positive reinforcement is useful.

I don't intend there to be a sequel to the previous chapter, at least, not a full epic, but I might fill in the 20 year gap with some information, such as the beginnings of the relationships, weddings, babies, etc. The few alternate endings will also appear first, but don't quote me on a time frame for this to appear, as I deserve a little break from the Haruhi fandom for at least one week.

If anyone is a decent artist, I'd love for that group picture to be drawn; it would be awesome to see.

Still, I hope you liked the ending. To be honest, this story was written during the second most worst year of my life (the most worst year I wrote my Love Hina: 28 Days Later zombie story...), and thusly brought out a lot of emotions in me as I was writing the epilogue (the Kyon/Yuki family was a very personal feeling I had inside me). Any words, reviews, flames, are accepted and encouraged.

Until next time...

- Kyon

P.S. Sorry, I meant:

- J


End file.
